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Spiritual Therapeutics; 



or, 



DIVINE SCIENCE. 

THIRD EDITION. 
APPLIED TO 

Moral, Mental axd Physical Harmony, 



TWELVE LECTURES. 



/ BY 

\ J. COLVI] 



Wr Jf COLVILLE, 

Author of " The Spiritual Science of Health and Healing," 

Etc., Etc. 



ALSO A LECTURE ON 

"Unscientific Science" 

BY 

Dr. ANNA KINGSFORD 
Author of "The Perfect Way," Etc., Etc. 



CHICAGO: 

EDUCATOR PUBLISHING COMPANY, 

Lock Box 328. 

1890. 






Copyright, 1888, by 
W. J. COLVILLE. 



All Rights Reserved. 



Donohue & Henneberry, Printers and Binders, Chicago. 



PE E FACE. 

ri^IIIS work is issued to meet a long-felt want for a 
-*-■ compendious statement of the essential principles 
of Spiritual Science as presented in harmony with the 
advanced thought of the present day. Xo endeavor 
has been made to accomplish the impossible, therefore 
the claim is not put forward that any subject is treated 
finally or exhaustively. The Spiritual Science of Health 
and Healing, published in 1S87, first in Boston and 
then in Chicago, has met with so large a circulation all 
over the world that the author has consented to pub- 
lish this new work for the purpose of answering many 
questions, and more fully elucidating many problems 
raised in the minds of readers of Spiritual Science of 
Health and Healing. The original intention of this 
work was to put in the hands of enquirers into Spir- 
itual Science everywhere a handy text-book, portable 
in form and procurable at nominal expense, designed 
expressly as an aid to study both in the class-room, 
the home circle and the private study. In addition it 
has been found highly desirable to append a consider- 
able number of thoroughly authenticated cases of heal- 
ing without the use of medicine or any physical contact 
whatsoever. 



PREFACE. 

The questions and answers have been carefully 
selected from those asked and answered in classes and 
also from a great number forwarded to the author in 
response to public invitation through the press. The 
directions for treatment have received special at tent i< m, 
and it is confidently believed by the projectors of this 
volume that every man, woman and child of averj 
intelligence, who will study this subject carefully and 
give it the serious attention it so richly deserves, will 
find him or herself able to demonstrate the truth of 
much, at least, of what is expounded in the following 
pages. "With the earnest hope and fervent prayer that 
a perusal of these pages may be fraught with blessing 
to all who study them, the reader is referred to the 
body of the volume. 

N. B. — The following synopses of twelve class lea- 
sons are intended as skeleton hints for persons desirous 
of pursuing a systematic course of thoughtful study in 
the privacy of their own homes. They are also sug- 
gested as fruitful for consideration in assemblies of 
inquirers, where the custom is to have something read 
by a president, and then talked over by the members 
of the fraternity or club. They will, also, perhaps, be 
found of some slight assistance to young teachers in 
preparing themselves to meet their classes. 



CONTENTS. 



LESSON I. 

Page. 
God — The Relation of Man to the Infinite— Dif 

ference Between Reason and Intuition 7 to 14 



LESSON IT. 

The Human Mind; Its Origin and Destiny — At What 
Period Did it Begin in Time? — What Room Does 
it Occupy in Space?— Is it Substance or Force?— 
Is it a Cause or an Effect?— Wiiat Specifically 
is its SnAPE, Size and Substance ?— Upon What 
Principles or by What Properties can it Re- 
sist Destruction (A Subject Giyen to Mrs. 
Cora L. V. Richmond by a Philosophical Society 
in Chicago, and Treated Upon by the Author 
of This Volume by Particular Request) 15 to 3)> 

LESSON III 

The Dtvtnity of Chrtst, the Only Begotten S 
of God — The Essential and the Historical 

Christ Contrasted 34 to 54 

iii 



iy CONTENTS. 

LESSON IV. 
Evil and its Remedy 55 to 75 

LESSON V. 
Resurrection W to 94 

LESSON VI. 
Transfiguration 05 to 1 18 



LESSON VII. 



True Individuality— In What Sense and to Wiiat 
extent is Man a Free Moral Agent, and What n 
the Ultimate of Individual Spiritual A i i \in 
MEi t T ? 1191 

LESSON VIII. 

What is the Perfect Way, and How May We Walk 

in it ? *. 140 to M 

LESSON IX. 

The Religious Instinct ; Its Origin, Growth and Ul- 
timate Perfection 163 to 184 

LESSON X. 

How Can We Explain Miracles Scientifically, and 
Accomplish Wonders Apparently Transcending 
the Operation of Natural Law ? 185 to 204 



CONTKN V 

LESSON XL 

Practical Advice to Students, Healers and Pa- 
tiknts, asd directions fob the application op 
Spiritual Science to all the Avocations of 
Daily Life 205 to 218 

LESSON XII. 
Formulas, Ttieir Use and Value 219 to 233 

MISCELLANEOUS 
Questions 234 to 289 

TEACHINGS 

Of Spiritual Science Concerning Treatments of 

the Lower Animals 290 to 292 

UNSCIENTIFIC SCIENCE. 

Moral Aspects of Vivisection, by Dr. Anna Kings- 
ford 292 to 308 

A FORM OF TREATMENT. 
Contributed by Mrs. Sara Harris, Berkeley, Cal.. 309 



VI CONTENTS. 

LEAVES FROM STUDENT'S NOTE BOOK. 
Spiritual Science Catechism 310 to 321 

APPENDIX. 

Testimonials From a Number of Experienced Heal- 
ers 322 f 



LESSON I. 



OOD — THE RELATION OF MAN TO THE INFINITE DIFFERENCE 

BETWEEN REASON AND INTUITION. 

SEEKERS after truth, whoever you may be, wher- 
ever you may dwell, the topic we are now about 
o discuss appeals vitally to every one of you. As the 
subject is infinite and eternal in its bearings, neither 
we who address you nor you who are addressed can 
rightfully be expected to fully comprehend the subject 
of this lesson; but it is not to your intellectual com- 
prehension so much as to your spiritual perception 
we address ourselves. Consider first how man has 
grown into a belief in Deity. Whence did this belief 
spring? How did it originate? These are ques- 
tions we must look boldly in the face. The mind of 
man is a mirror, a reflector, but not a creator. The 
thoughts of the human mind never transcend, but 
invariably and inevitably fall very far short of the 
realities of Absolute Being, therefore, all human errors 
are limitations of truth, negations of fact, but never 
in a solitary instance has an erroneous human opinion 
been found to transcend reality. Man perceives (rod, 
i.e., he realizes intuitively his relation to an Infinite 
Power, Energy or Force which permeates the Oniverse, 
and is the Life of the Universe. This Infinite Life we 
call God, which is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning All 
Good, or the Good One. 

7 



8 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

Agnostics admit the eternity and infinity of Power 
Energy or Force, but they pronounce its nature and 
attributes unknowable, and perhaps to the unassisted 
intellect they are so. We do not disparage or trample 
upon human reason in any sense when we proclaim the 
infinite superiority of intuitive perception of truth 
no intellectual realization of external facts. Intuition 
is super-rational, but never does it urge upon us the 
acceptance of anything irrational or sub rational. 
Eeason infers, intuition proves the being of God. thus 
we have two witnesses instead of one, ready to testify 
to the reality of the Divine Being. We wish you at 
once, before we proceed any further in this lesson, to 
notice how studiously we avoid speaking of the divine 
existence, which we consider a word misapplied when- 
ever used in connection with the Infinite. Being alone 
is eternal, existence is temporal. God /*. the ex- 
ternal universe exists. God is the source of all being, 
is indeed Being itself, consequently cannot be 
limited or personified. God then is super-personal 
Spirit, not impersonal but super-personal. Impersonal 
means less than personal, while super-personal means 
superior to personality. There are three words we 
shall often introduce into these lessons: 

1st. Identity. 

2d. Individuality. 

3d. Personality. 

These refer respectively to Spirit, to Mind and to 
Matter, which constitute the three-fold expression of 
the absolute Life. The circle has always been chosen 
as the symbol of infinity and eternity, but any circle 
we can describe is finite, and therefore resembles man 



spramux THERAPEUTICS. 9 

who is in the image of God, but cannot resemble God 

in so far as it has limitations, for God is necessarily 
limitless. You have all heard often enough of macro- 
cosm and the microcosm, the former, you know, means 
the infinite whole, the latter signifies the finite Like- 
ness of the whole. God is the macrocosm. Man is the 
microcosm. The difference, then, between God and 
Man is quantitative and not qualitative. AVhat God is, 
that is Man, for Aran is in the image and likeness of the 
Eternal One. The best instructed minds in spiritual 
truth are by no means invariably such as have profited 
most by the methods of scholasticism, for scholarship 
is purely intellectual, while spiritual discernment is 
altogether independent of the bookworm and pertains 
entirely to the culture of the psychic faculty. There 
is in man a psychic element which defies external 
investigation, and baffles intellectual research, because 
it invariably transcends the reason, which it, however, 
never contradicts. Our first lesson, of necessitv, brings 
us to a point where we are under the necessitv of dis- 
criminating between reason and intuition, as intuition 
only can unlock the door of the inner temple of our 
being which remains forever barred against the per- 
>i>tent knocking of any lower power. God is known 
only to intuition. Reason is a faculty whereby man- 
kind is able to decide with reference to all questions 
which can be submitted to the human mind for judg- 
ment. Tt is a purely intellectual and analytical faculty, 
the possession of which enables one to rise to the lof- 
tiest heights of purely mental glory, but reason is soul- 
less. We do not say it is in opposition to man's high- 
est spiritual nature. It simply fails to apprehend it. 



10 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

It is agnostic in its attitude toward all purely spirit- 
ual revelation or discovery. It can, of course, be 
employed to prove the reality of spirit and the good of 
the affections, but it can also be used to deny the very 
being of Deity and can argue against as readily as for 
the immortality of man. Reason is unable to oope 
with spiritual truth; it can neither prove nor disprove 
what intuition affirms. Intuition is perception. It is a 
purely spiritual faculty, and is no more intended to change 
places with reason than eyes are to do duty in the 
stead of ears. Reason looks to the earth; it is 
naturalist, a geologist, by natural bent, while intuition 
looks to the heavens and discovers stars while reason 
delves amid fossils. We do not for a single instant 
decry reason, nor would we underrate its power for 
good in the world, but, like all the physical faculties 
possessed by man, it is a two edged sword. 1 1 can boused 
either for good orevil. It will defend right or wrong 
the case may be. In the hands of a criminal lawyer the 
closest reasoning, severest logic is often used to justify 
the wrong doer and thereby to defeat justice and 
defraud the innocent. The greatest reasoners are by no 
means always the greatest saints neither are fchey 
proverbially the greatest sinners, but we fail to 
where unaided reason contributes much to the high- 
est welfare or greatest happiness of the race. The 
steam engine, the telephone, various electrical appli- 
ances, the deadliest weapons of warfare, the crudest 
devices for torturing men and criminals, are all alike 
products of human reason, it depends upon the use to 
which secular information is put as to whether or no it 
really benefits mankind in the sense of moral elevation. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIi 11 

We cannot be too rational, too inventive, or too analyt- 
ical, provided always we are first moral and spiritual. 
Intuition, as we understand it, signifies clear moral 
perception, genuine spiritual discernment. Intuition is 
always loving, kind and just. It is divine reason, and 
therefore lies beyond the realm in which what is ordi- 
narily known as reason finds its field of operation. 
Intuition is certain and infallible. It deals with spir- 
itual truth by exact methods just as the multiplication 
table deals with figures — twice 2 must always be 4. 
We can arrive at certitude in numeration, Mathemati- 
cal demonstrations are absolute. Are there then no 
means of arriving at exact spiritual truth? We believe 
there is a royal way through the gateway of spir- 
itual perception, which discerns spiritual realities with 
demonstrable exactitude. The question is continually 
asked us, How do you stand with regard to the matter 
of education i Do you consider a person need be liter- 
ary in order to excel as a spiritual healer? We always 
reply in the decided negative, for many of the best 
healers we have ever met were, from a scholastic point 
of view, the most illiterate. 

Let us see if we cannot decide why this is so. All 
information is of some value to its possessor. We can, 
none of us, know too much, but Pope, perhaps, was 
right, when he sang, "A little learning is a dangerous 
thing." but wherein consists the danger, probably the 
ould have answered in the language of the great 
philosopher, Francis Bacon, "Alittle learning inclineth 
man to atheism. M But why should it? What is there 
in learning, any way, to shake man's taith in God? 
Does not everything testify to the being of an Infinite 



12 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

Intelligence ? Is not the argument for design unanswer- 
able. Verily, still the mind, when first steeped in the 
pleasure of intellectual acquisition, becomes so infatu- 
ated and intoxicated with the charms of outer thin 
and withal so vain of its petty achievements that a 
frame or mood is too often excited, which correctly 
expresses itself in the dominant conviction, "what 
I don't know, is not worth knowing." If there are 
any such mental states in the way of your accepting a 
new truth, new to you, though to others old as the 
universe, you must be converted and become as little 
children in all teachableness of disposition, before you 
can possibly perceive the truth of Spirit. Blessed are 
the clean or pure of heart, for they shall sec God, is 
no idle dreamer's romance. 

Purity of affection, cleanliness of desire, is as nec- 
essary to enable one to arrive at spiritual knowledge 
asever eyes can be to see with or windows in houses to 
admit the light of day. Strive to forget at the thresh- 
old of these instructions that you know anything; let 
every proposition come before you with the charm and 
weight of novelty; give your memory a rest and come 
prepared to fully consider in all candor and sincerity 
whatever maybe advanced. In this temper alone can 
you be prepared to give, to what may seem to you as 
a new science, the attention it deserves and rightfully 
demands at the hands of intelligent lovers of and 
seekers after truth. Let us for a moment try to dis- 
criminate carefully and clearly between memory and 
consciousness. Memory is invariably treacherous at 
best, in our present stage of development, while con- 
sciousness is persistently, invariably the same. I am at 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 13 

this instant conscious that I am. That I am what? 
This question I may be unable to answer satisfact- 
orily even to myself; I may have to fall back upon 
words attributed by Bible writers to Jehovah, "I am 
that I am." What I am I may not realize. I know 
that I am, i. t\, I am conscious of having being and 
I feel moreover that however nearly I may be con- 
nected or however intimately associated with others, 
I am not another and another is not I. What, then, 
am I who am not another? and what, then, is another 
who is not II The mystery of individual identity is 
displayed and illustrated in all nature from the greatest 
to the smallest. The identity of the unit is most 
sacredly preserved. This is never sacrificed to the 
mass. 

Absorption into the Deity is a foolish expression. 
Many persons in their struggles to modernize and 
occidentalize oriental writings, have labored hard in 
the course of fatiguing disquisitions concerning Xircana 
to persuade the world that the extinction of individual 
consciousness is the blissful summit of human attainment. 
Such, however, is not the highest Eastern thought. 
Edwin Arnold, at the conclusion of his Light of Asia, 
takes far nobler ground than this, and in his Itn 
Ri visit d he tells us of the grateful thanks and cordial 
welcomes he received from Buddhist priests, both in 
Hindoostan and Ceylon, as tribute to the faithfulness 
with which he had portrayed the tenets of Buddhism 
in his story of the u great renunciation." We allude 
to this, not because we turn to Asia for that spiritual 
light which can come only from within, but to show 
how misleading it is for any one to think that all of 



14 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

truth is concentrated in a single system of religion. 
Universal Theosophy or Spiritual Science is the friend 
of Truth wherever found, but its main object is to call it 
out from within the depths of every individual. A know! 
edge or perception of the logos, divine word, or essen- 
tial Christ, which is indeed the Way, the Truth and 
the Life, is the Universal Enlightener and the only 
absolute source of divine guidance for the individual. 



LESSON II. 

THE HUMAN MIND; ITS ORIGIN AND DESTINY — AT WHAT 
PERIOD DID IT BEGIN IN TIME J — WHAT BOOM DDKS IT OC- 
CUPY IN SPACE? IS IT SUBSTANCE OK FORCE? — IS IT A 

CAUSE OR AN EFFECT ? WHAT SPECIFICALLY IS ITS 

SHAPE, SIZE AND SUBSTANCE? — UPON WHAT PRINCIPLES 
OB r.V WHAT PROPERTIES CAN IT RESIST DESTRUCTION? 
(A SUBJECT GIVEN TO MRS. CORA L. V. RICHMOND BY A 
PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN CHICAGO, AND TREATED UPON 
BY THE AUTHOR OF THIS VOLUME BY PARTICULAR 
BEQUEST.) 

QUCII a subject as this can only be satisfactorily 
^ dealt with in a series of discourses, there is so 
much included in these questions concerning the mind 
of man. The question in such a form as it here as- 
sumes would never be asked by enlightened Tlie< so- 
phists acquainted with the spiritual side of man's nature, 
but is constantly propounded by realistic philosophers, 
who maintain that everything must be material in order 
to be real; must have size and shape, gravity and 
ponderability evident to external sense in order to he 
in the realm of real existence. 

Now the human mind must 1>< ived of as 

inct from the human soul. Therefore, as our present 

subje< t is the human mind we shall deal only with 

mind as we understand it. leaving the question of the 

divine soul — which is beyond the mind — which is con- 

* 15 



16 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

sidered in our first lesson, or only touching upon it 
when necessary to explain the nature of mind as de 
rived from the soul. 

Now Mind Cure is a popular term, but spiritual 
healing is a far more appropriate one and covers a 
great deal more ground than mental healing, because 
the spirit is superior to the mind, even as intuition or 
moral perception is superior to the intellectual. We 
may be intellectual, rational, very learned; we may bo 
paragons of perfection in an intellectual hrough 

acquaintance with arts, physical sciences and phil 
phy, and yet be miserably devoid of soul culture, and 
if devoid of soul culture, if the divine breath is not 
made manifest in us, if we are not unfolded on the 
spiritual side of our nature, all our intellectual develop- 
ment will not avail to save us from sickness and 
suffering. 

The mind of man must be subordinate to the divine 
soul. Intellectual progress must be made subordinate 
to spiritual culture. Eeason must be subordinated to 
conscience or the moral sense. If nothing higher than 
the mind of man be recognized, if nothing beyond in- 
tellect or reason be cultivated, a man, though a prodigy 
of valor, or an encyclopedia of information, concerning 
worldly knowledge, will lack the only wisdom that can 
guide himsafely over the tempestuous waters of earthly 
discipline. 

The human mind, its origin and destiny, must sig- 
nify the origin and destiny of a servant of the soul. 
There is a power within you beyond the mind, whieh 
causes you to often build wiser than you know. You 
declare that your mind changes, and it does. Your 



araOTUAL THE&APRUTX 17 

mind is only the accumulated mass of your thoughts 
All your thoughts together constitute your mental state; 

but the thinking principle, the power that gives yon 
your mind (the mind being* only an organ or perhaps 
only a function of the spirit) is the spirit (at ma). 

The individual mind of man originates in the soul 
of man. We will express our idea in this wise: The 
soul of man we regard as the ultimate spiritual atom, 
the essential primary. Those of you who are familiar 
with scientific analyses and with the terms used by the 
schools, know well that a distinction is made in the 
scientific world, and that a very broad one, between 
the atom or primal, the monad and the molecule. The 
atom or primal it is inferred is self existent, and being 
self existent it was of course never created andean, 
therefore, never be destroyed. The molecule or monad 
is only an expression of life, a manifestation ; there- 
fore scientific inference, granting that substance is 
eternal (as science invariably declares), concludes that 
an atom always has existed and always will. 

There may have been periods when the molecule 
or monad was not. Molecules or monads having 
come into existence during time and being results of 
the movements of atoms, may pass away in time, but 
the atoms themselves, whose movements have made 
the existence of molecules or monads possible, can 
never pass away. 

It strikes us as extremely singular that learned 
bodies of men, such as the Presbyterian assembly, for 
example, should ever have fallen into the error of sup- 
posing that, according to a true rendering of Qem 
the human body must have been created by a difl 



18 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

act of God's sovereignty out of nothing. Such a 
ridiculous hypothesis is equivalent to saying God is 
nothing; because, according to Gensis, every tiling is 
the result of God's activity. The spirit of God is said 
to have moved upon the waters, moved through the 
vast expanse filled by what is called— fur want of a 
better term — chaos, without form and void, and this 
directing intelligence organized the original cosmic 
fluid into organic forms. Such a definition of creation 
is certainly not to the effect that anything was made 
out of nothing, but that everything was made from 
and by the action of the spirit of God. 

The spirit of God is not "nothing," bat according 
to the Rosicrucian definition, it may be spoken of 
No Thino- which signifies the Eternal and [q finite can- 1 
of everything. The spirit of God, the divine lite, is 
the one Eternal, Primordial Being which defies all 
analysis and cannot be discovered by any mortal 
method of research, because it is altogether impalpable, 
immaterial and wholly spiritual, and if apprehended 
at all, must be apprehended by the soul which is in the 
image and likeness of Eternal Spirit. 

Now this theory gives you a logical basis for ex- 
istence. Out of nothing, nothing comes, but every 
manifested thing proceeds from something greater 
than itself. Every effect proceeds necessarily from a 
cause adequate to produce it. The cause may be 
greater than the effect, but cannot possibly be less 
than the effect. As a cause must be equal to or 
greater than the effect which it produces, and as 
"nothing" is an unmeaning term, for you can have 
no idea of "nothing" in your mind (an idea being 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 19 

something), it is absurd to infer that anything was 
ever made out of nothing, it is also a reductio (id 
absurdum of sciolistic ignorance that mind is a creat- 
ure of matter, because mind is demonstrably the right- 
ful lord over matter. 

If every thing proceeds from what is infinitely 
greater than itself — every manifestation of life being 
only an expression of the intelligence of All Pervad- 
ing Deity — if the life of the entire universe, pri- 
mordially and elementally is God's life, then we can 
understand that there is no creation other than or- 
ganization, and no destruction other than disintegra 
tion. There can be no annihilation, for annihilation 
means the destruction of being, but there can be dis- 
organization. Spiritualists affirm that in materializing 
circles forms are built up, apparently, out of invisible 
atmosphere; that they stand palpably in the presence 
of the sitters for a while and then vanish from sight. 
The New Testament declares that Jesus after His 
crucifixion appeared to His disciples, manifesting to 
them in palpable form, and then vanished out of 
their sight. Chemistry declares that all substances 
can be volatilized, i e., converted into impalpable 
ether; solids and fluids change into gases; the hard- 
est substances float away into invisible and intang- 
ible realms. 

The researches nnd knowledge of the scientific world 
abundantly prove that the realm of potentiality is a realm 
of invisibility. Electricity, that wondrous motor power 
now coming into universal use, is strictly invisible; the 
wind which as it blows manifests such terrible and 
might} 1 force in tornado or hurricane is invisible; the 



20 SPIRITUAL THERAPFXTICS. 

steam that propels gigantic vessels across the ocean is 
invisible, and so with all the forces of which man knows 
anything. According to scientific statements there arc 
many millions of sounds and colors that are neither 
heard nor seen, because the vibrations which cause them 
and which indeed, they are, make no impression upon 
your optic or auditory nerves. Now as the great and 
mysterious realm of causation, which materialists admit 
is superior to gross matter, is absolutely unknown to 
external sense; when we declare life to be invisible, the 
immortal soul to be real though invisible we simply eon- 
elude that everthing logically that everything destined 
to outlive the mortal body is invisible and spiritual 
accord with science. The fleshlybody is only an aggre- 
gation of molecules, which are ever being displaced 
to make room for others. Attraction and repulsion 
change outward forms incessantly. While consciousness 
abides, we can reasonably declare that the immor- 
tality of the soul, yea, and the pre-exist mee of the 
soul also is an inference of science. 

Epes Sargent, one of the most eloquent and scien- 
tific writers upon modern spiritualism, in his work 
entitled, "The Scientific Basis of Spiritualism," proves 
conclusively by the soundest argument and clean 
logic that immortality is inferred by physical as well 
as mental science. 

Rev. M. J. Savage, a popular Unitarian minister 
of Boston, has taken the ground that immortality may 
be conjectured from analogical evidences supplied by 
nature. Many lights in the Unitarian church, and in 
other liberal denominations, many luminaries in the 
scientific world, and many philosophers outside all 



S1MKITI AL 111 KRA1M.I lh 21 

creeds and denominations take a similar position. The 
question of questions to-day is, "Are we matter or 
spirit i " 

Now, the primal source of being must be unitary. 
There can not be two Eternals, two Infinites, two Al- 
mighties, and we maintain that the fact of the human 
mind being totally invisible to sense, and the fact of the 
soul being entirely beyond the reach of the scalpel or 

eeting knife (neither vivisection nor any other cruel 
practice invented by the barbarism of materialism to 
account for the origin of life having discovered its 
source in anywise), the fact that soul and mind can not 
be materially discovered furnishes abundant proof that 
all that is real abides forever in the realm of the All 
Powerful, which is Spirit. Our senses never apprehend 
one hundredth part of what our souls recognize, this 
experience alone sufficiently demonstrates to the un- 
prejudiced thinker that the invisible realm of intelli- 
gence is the seat of causation. 

In art everything is conceived by the painter men- 
tally before there can be any outward expression. The 
inventor has his model and machine in working order 
in his mind before he can take the first step toward pre- 
paring a model for public exhibition or setting any one 
at work to construct the external body of his invention. 

You may pronounce transcendentalism folly, you 
may demand something practical, but you could never 
have any practical object or external knowledge unless 
some one had first beheld a design in mind. Even 
in the matter of dress the fashion plate is the result of 
some new thought in some one's mind; before there can 
be any outward garment made it must be planned in 



22 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

mind. So with every material comfort, with every 
external thing you enjoy, mind first operates and mat- 
ter proves its servant. 

As mind first produces plans and models and 
hands to work afterward constructing apparatus to 
apply motor power externally, it is invariably the « 
that the nearer you approach the realm of absolute 
mentality, the more wonderful are discoveries, tin* 
mightier and more matchless the exhibitions of man's 
consummate skill. This is instanced by the fact of no 
outward effort, however superb, fully satisfying the de- 
signer. 

The mind of man is the handiwork of the soul, which 
is an embodiment of the divine creative energy dis- 
played in universal nature. Materialists or Atheists 
looking no further than man, often declare that while 
they find no God in the universe to worship, they are 
willing to worship great men. So great, so marvelous 
are the achievements of the human mind guided by 
the soul that infidelity may almost be excused for pot- 
ting man upon the throne of the universe and worship- 
ing man, who is in the image of God, as God. In 
every school that disallows the existence of an In- 
finite Divine Spirit as the cause of the universe ire 
behold, man is made to take the place of God (t> 
the school of Auguste Comte). At this we do not 
wonder, as the highest manifestation of God is through 
the divine in man. We do not wonder that glorious in- 
tellects are bowed down to, or that human reason is 
deified; but we must not forget that at the close of 
the last century, when churches were closed and re- 
ligious worship proscribed, when all religion* teach- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 23 

ing was under the ban of popular anathema, and 
reason was set up publicly as a goddess, men were 
shot down and stabbed in the streets of Paris and 
elsewhere, and this was because reason alone, intel- 
lect, apart from spirituality, is not capable of saving 
or redeeming a nation. No one is capable of gov- 
erning wisely and well unless his reason is married 
to intuition. Conscience, the moral sense, the divine 
affection of the spirit, must be the dominating force, 
or an age of reason is an age without heart. 

Do not think lor a moment that Ave underrate 
the power of reason, or that we decry the glorious 
human intellect, or that we undervalue the advan- 
tages of mental training in colleges and seminaries. 
But history certainly proves that Greece and Rome fell 
in spite of their intellect and their wonderfully beauti- 
ful art, and they fell solely because the people lacked 
spirituality. Phoenicia, Babylonia, and many another 
land once bright and glorious, but now desolate heaps of 
ruin, fell into decay because reason, esoterically speak- 
ing — man without woman, intellect without soul, 
brain without conscience — held sway and was idol- 
ized. All deep thinkers agree that in the present 
generation if there be no recognition found for some- 
thing bevond human reason, if nothing above in- 
tellect is acknowledged, men will become cultured 
tyrants. 

Mind of man, thou ail no ruler save of the phya 
body. Reason of man. thou art not the supreme inter- 
preter of Deity, still thou hast a mission appointed thee 

• >\rvn these Mind of man, wonderful intellect. 

glorious reason, thou art a captain appointed over all 



24 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

the bodily functions and carnal appetites and thou must 
reign supreme over these; but thou hast a Commander, 
a General, a higher Officer of the army in which thou 
arc stationed, whom thou must acknowledge as thy 
Toiler, for with all thy vaunted strength and boasted 
superiority, thou art the servant of a loftier power, even 
the power of the soul divine which isthe source even ot 
thy existence. 

It is the power of soul, of religion pure and unde- 
filed, of genuine spirituality, of the divine life in man 
that can alone save and uplift a nation or an individual. 

We care not how distinguished may be halls of 
learning, how great the dignity of professors of art and 
literature, or how profound the teachings of the schools, 
if there be lacking the power of the living spirit, beyond 
the finite reason, man will not and cannot be perfected, 
neither can the earth complete the cycle of its changes 
and arrive at the golden age so long foretold when sick- 
ness, sin and sorrow will be utterly unknown. 

The mind of man is not the supreme or primal 
cause; it is a secondary cause, beyond which we ttf 
the divine soul which is the primal or ultimate atom of 
life, related to eternity, the one absolute individuality 
which is your real self and with which you can never 
part, no matter what lies before you in the way of 
perience, either in this or any other world. The soul 
of man has made itself known to the intellect in some 
measure, but is quite beyond the perception of bodily 
sense. Scientists are ever searching for the atom which 
their microscopes have ever failed to find. Intellect, 
however, is already somewhat conscious of spiritual 
existence. It dimly apprehends spiritual entities which 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC8. W 2T> 

are immortal, even souls which can never cease to be, 
for they never began to be. 

The question is often asked, '< Were souls always 
individual^ Did man always know himself as an indi- 
vidual spark of divine life?" This question is unanswer- 
able unless we deal with it problematically; as one of 
the profoundest questions ever submitted to the intelli- 
gence of man, philosophy has often answered it in this 
manner, /. e. through processes of deduction. 

According to the Greek philosophers the soul is 
eternal. But though the soul has always existed, it may 
not always have reflected upon its existence as we 
now reflect. It may have existed as a seed exists 
before it is sown. It contains, within itself, unex- 
pressed, all the potentialities of manifested life. What 
is earthly discipline but the evolution of the mind's 
reasoning, intellectual and reflective powers? The soul 
produces a material form in the act of unfolding the 
attributes always within it. 

Agriculturists know that it is impossible to really 
create anything, still by planting a certain kind of seed, 
a certain unfoldment will follow. The germ of a rose 
will never produce ageranium. Every potentiality or 
possibility of fruition must inhere in the planted seed, 
for what is not within, can not be produced by any 
out ward effort. So with our earthly discipline. AVe see 
what growth can do for the seed and how that can be 
made manifest which is already contained in the primal 
germ. 

Eere we take decided issue with materialists, and 
challenge all who declare that mind is the product of 
matter, and human intelligence the result of physical 



26 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

organization. But another view of the statement shows 
us that if mind is the result of physical organization 
the declaration is proved true that all is mind and there 
is no matter. If materialism is logical it is only logical 
on the basis of the most extreme metaphysics, which 
declare that everything is mind and therefore there is 
no matter; if so called matter evidences mind, it is not 
matter but mind in another phase ofexistenc 

Now we all know, that we can not apprehend any- 
thing except by the use of our mental faculties. Von 
talk about seeing with the eye ; hut let an eye be taken 
out of your head, will the eye see anything \ Alter the 
spirit has left the body, what can eyes behold \ They 
see nothing, for they are only mediums of communica- 
tion between two objects both of which exist in mind. 
If there were no intelligence behind the eye looking 
through it, or no intelligence beyond the brain, or no 
connection between that intelligence and the brain, or 
no connection between the brain and the retina of the 
eye, or between the retina of the eye and something 
external to the eye, could there be any perception 
through an organ of vision? But, you argue, v * we can- 
not see without eyes." We beg to differ from yon, for 
we have known many persons physically blind who have 
seen clearly without bodily eyes; such we appropriately 
call clairaudients, meaning persons whosee with unusual 
clearness. If you refer to the experiments of Mesmer 
and others upon the subject of clairvoyance and clair- 
audience, and also pay heed to what is constantly t rans- 
piring at the present time, you will find there are many 
people who see without a bodily eye, and clairvoyance 
does not enable persons to come in contact with ideas 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 27 

exclusively, but it also enables them to describe dis- 
tinctly the color, form and texture of material objects; 
and clairaudients when physically deaf or with their 
ears completely stopped up, can hear sounds both near 
at hand and faraway when there can be no action upon 
the physical ear, they will often describe sounds per- 
fectly which are occurring in very distant places and that 
with perfect accuracy. 

Psychometric experiments prove conclusively that 
an object placed in the hand, or for that matter upon 
the back of the neck of a blindfolded person, can be 
accurately described as to its texture, color, form, 
dimensions and everything else you term material. 
There is evidence in the scientiiic world, among many 
who have not investigated spiritualism, but who have 
investigated clairvoyance and clairaudience, and have 
encountered persons gifted with psychometric power, 
that people constantly hear independently of bodily 
ears, taste without material palates, smell independent 
of nostrils, and detect a difference between velvet and 

ie, without coming into any physical contact with 
either the velvet or the stone. If you investigate psy- 
chometrv you can abundantly prove that there is in man 
a (power that works independently) "soul-measuring" 
of his material body, a power that far transcends it and 
proves that the spiritual or psychic body is not an 
unreality, a mere phantasm, but far more real than the 
fleshly body of man. We declare that the real body of 
man is spiritual, man's whole nature is spiritual. But 
when we endeavor to apply the principle of metaph 
ics to healing mental and bodily infirmities we do not 
adopt the phraseology of those teachers who say you 



28 SPIRITUAL THERArEUTICS. 

can see as well without an eye as with one. We prefer 
to say yon can see perfectly with your spiritual eye if 
you have no bodily eye, you can hear perfectly with 
your spiritual ear if you have no physical ear; there- 
fore if you lose your physical sight or your whole 
material body, remember you have a spiritual body, or 
you may call it, if you chose, an astral body, which is 
a body that has form, size and dimensions, and which 
exists in the realm of mind, and is the cause of your 
material body, and being its predecessor, outlasts it. 

If size appears in outward expression, there is prior 
size in invisible realms. If there are external dimensions 
there are dimensions in the realm of their causation, 
which is the realm of mind. If there are colors in out- 
ward expression there are colors in spirit Shut your 
eyes and you can think ofcolors and sounds. Anvtli 
you can think about has an existence in the realm of 
thought. If it did not exist in the realm of thought 
you could not think about it. As everything produced 
in the material world is the result of thought, mind 
must necessarily be the power that produces it. Thai 
which you term matter is only a result of vibrations in 
lower octaves of the vibrations which bat Swe- 

denborg terms spiritual substance. 

If the soul of man had not an eternal past, it cannot 
have an eternal future. But if, as we affirm, the soul 
has always existed in the bosom of the Infinite, if the 
soul has always been an individual atom in the eternal 
life, your immortal individuality is secure. Your reflec- 
tion upon your individuality may have been brought 
about in time; in time you may have made discover 
through your intellect, of something you always per- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 29 

ceived in your soul. When the figurative hooks slial! 
be opened and the soul fully testifies of itself, then will 
the groat mystery of dual consciousness be explained; 
then will you understand how you are fully conscious 
in spirit when quite unconscious of outward things; 
then will your dream life no longer remain to you a 
mystery; then will all spiritual experiences glow with 
the light of complete interpretation, and you will he all 
aflame with a knowledge of your relation to the Eter- 
nal. You will then no more bow down before idols of 
material belief than you would pray to the images of 
wood and stone worshiped by poor Pagans who know 
not of life in spirit 

Materialism says life springs from protoplasm. If 
everything comes from protoplasm, if it be primal, then 
it is spiritual, but if protoplasm is only another word 
for spirit, it is improper to employ it because it is mis- 
leading. Is it not affirmed in the scientific world that 
the discovery lias been made by Darwin, Spencer and 
others of a primordial cell from which alllife arises, and 
that this cell is the same for the monad as for man. the 
same for the jelly fish or the tadpole as for the philoso- 
pher? If this be true, we simply exclaim that this 
primordial cell, representing the absolute primary in the 
material world, is the primal manifestation of intelli- 
gence in the realm of effect. All that Darwin or any 
evolutionist can accomplish is to trace effects to their 

tiling cause, from the circumference inward toward 
the center. Involution starts at the center. The soul 
is the center. Protoplasm is toward the circumference. 
Materialism starts near the circumference and endeavors 
to find the soul in dust. When you have found the soul 



30 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

you will comprehend protoplasm, which is a product, a 

creation by the soul. When you only know protoplasm 
you can know nothing of the soul, and thus you en- 
deavor to argue that unconscious dust has evolved spirit, 
that material atoms have evolved intelligence, and that 
consequently, on the breaking up of the physical 01 Q 
ism, the intelligence vanishes, as brightness from a pol- 
ished shield when dampness approaches it. It goes no- 
where, you say, whereas, from the standpoint of spirit, 
there is found an adequate and satisfactory solution for 
every material phenomena, while from the standpoint 
of materialism consciousness is an utterly miraculous 
phenomenon, 

In the realm of spirit the soul is the acknowledged 
creator of its expressions. Tin and center of all is 

the divine life. In the divine life there is perfect rest, 
forit is absolute being. Divinelife is the only center of 
the wheel of life. All revolutions are around thai center, 
and no matter how rapidly the wheel may rotate, the 
center is always calm. Promtheinmosl center, which is 
the divine cause, to the outermost effect, or circumfer- 
ence of the wheel, life is made manifest through the 
descent of spirit (involution) and the ascent of matter 
(evolution). 

We believe in the gradual development of species, 
in the ascent of the body of man; but this is a result of 
the descent of spirit. When spiritual d< and 

material ascent are understood by being studied to- 
gether; when spiritually minded profess* involu- 
tion enlighten professors of evolution, light from the 
realm of causation— which is spiritual— will make com- 
prehensible the realm of effect, which is termed mate- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPETJTK 3< 

rial. Then instead of supposing that you are mere 
creatures of dust, or that a handful of dust has evolved 
an immortal soul; instead of dreaming- that matter lias 
been refining itself age after age until from uncon- 
scious dust a conseious soul has been at length pro- 
luced; itetead of imagining that everlasting life may be 
the result of an evolution from unconscious molecules, 
you will understand that from eternal life, wherein ever 
exists the soul, hasevery outward expression proceeded. 
Man, then, instead of claiming relationship to dust will 
claim relationship to Deity. 

It is manifestly absurd to argue that effects are 
greater than causes, and works greater than their maker. 
If you are superior to every other form of life on the 
planet then your soul may have been a world builder, 
as in ages gone by the triumphant souls called in the 
Hebrew Scriptures " Elohim" the angels who shouted 
for joy at the completion of the external world, may 
have lived on earths long since depopulated and out- 
grown. Those angels must have been souls who had for 

s been ascending the ladder of progress, who, from 
their glorious homes in spirit, may have caused their 
thoughts to have assumed form upon earth, creation 
may have therefore been — as one of the Hebrew accounts 
declares — the work of the "Elohim." 

The soul is the creator of all material things. In 
spiritual life you may change your spiritual bodies 
you change your material forms on earth ; you will 
graduate to higher and ever higher forms of expression; 
you will accrete to you thought essences from the 
spiritual atmosphere, and finally, expression in all its 
outward forms having been fulfilled, the soul will know 
itself as conqueror over all. 



32 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

A period will arrive when you will be able to pro- 
duce any form you please; when upon the wii 
thought you will pass from planet to planet as easily 
as birds navigate the air or lish swim in water. As rap- 
idly as your thought can move from one country 
another, and from one star to another, dbes^our soul 
pass from point to point in the boundless univei 

When your eves are opened to the sublimities of 
eternity there will appear to you no longer any vacuum 
or void, no interstellar spares in the universe Win 
now you imagine there is no life, you will find orders 
upon orders of intelligences, homes and habital 
spirit, all the universe being filled with thought and its 
expressions. Then when you have attained to the 
glorious states which hold sway over all planetary 
bodies, you will know the material center of gravity 
on any earth is but the outermost expression of 
thought, what you now term most real is only the II 
in g shadow — the world of outward sense being phan- 
tasmagoric, while the world of son! is alone real and 
eternal. 

Spencer says the origin of life is unknowable, and 
therefore he would notdaretocall itmateriaL Matthew 
Arnold speaks of an eternal energy; t ; 
tronomers, geologists and chemists that have ever lived 
have bowed reverently before the Divine ( )ver soul and 
have acknowledged matter as only an expression of in- 
finite intelligence. 

Behind all phenomena is God. Man can never J>e 
educated out of his intuitive belief in spirit. When you 
are prepared for the teachings angels are ready to give, 
when minds on earth are prepared to receive such in- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 33 

struct ions, you will listen to glowing words of truth 
vibrating from celestial homes through this earth's at 
mosphere, filling your minds with truth eternal, giving 

you perfect knowledge of spirit. Spiritual involution 
will completely account for earthly evolution. Darwin 
may yet descend from the realm of spirit to write an- 
other ** Origin of Species " in which you will find stated 
the descent o( spirit as the all sufficient cause of the 
_nt of life through material form. 



LESSON III. 



THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN BOH 01 OOD 

THE ESSENTIAL AND THE HISTORICAL CIIKIST OOH- 

TRASTED. 

IF OUR conceptions of the Christ do not harmon 
with the theological opinions of any persons who 
peruse this volume, they will please to remember thai 
do not consider the holding of our views upon thedivin- 
ity of Christ as necessary to anyone's salvation, and 
therefore if you entertain views different from ours, 
cording to the spiritual philosophy we are endeavoring 
to inculcate, you stand as good a chance of salvation, 
both in this world and in that which is to coin.. 
though your views were precisely the same as ours. 
Now, belief rests upon evidence; no intelligent person 
can believe anything without sufficient evidence. If you 
believe in the presence of any materia 1 object it is because 
you rely upon the evidence of } T our bodily senses; and he- 
fore you believe in the truth of any doctrine, it must be 
submitted to your intellect for consideration. Spiritual 
truth appeals to your conscience or moral sense and 
thus summons as its witness the divinest element of 
your being. When conclusions are arrived at by any 
speaker, writer, philosopher, or school of thought which 
are at variance with truth as it appeals to your inch 

34 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 35 

vidua! mind, you are not only not bound to agree with 
such teaching, but you are bound in duty, reason, and 
justice to disagree; we may, however, agree to disagree, 
or, more properly, to differ. Now, we regard all phases 
of human thought and feeling as natural expressions of 
human intelligence, and as doctrines concerning Deity, 
the divinity of Christ, the personality of the Holy 
Spirit, trinity in unity and unity in trinity, besides other 
kindred theological themes, too numerous to mention, 
may be justly catalogued among the most difficult prob- 
lems which can be presented to the human mind for solu- 
tion, the wonder is rather that there are comparatively 
so few differences in the world, than that there are so 
many; the wonder is that there are so few sects in 
Christendom rather than that there are so many; for 
though there are perhaps three hundred distinct Chris- 
tian sects, the majority of the sects are, broadly speaking, 
orthodox, as they agree to accept the divinity of Jesus, 
and the Trinity or tri-personality of God, even though 
all contend also for the divine unity. 

Universalists, and particularly Unitarians, have de- 
parted from the orthodox standard of Christendom by 

itively affirming that Jesus, though possibly supe- 
rior to ail other men, was still only a man, and though 
the son of God, in the sense of being peculiarly divine 
through the nobility and purity of his nature, is not 

d the Son. If you are acquainted with church his- 
tory you are well aware that Servetus was put to death 
at the instigation of Calvin, because he would not 
acknowledge the incarnation of God in Jesus and 
persisted that Jesus was only the son of God while 
Calvin insisted that Jesus was God the Son ; when 



36 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

preparation was complete for the burning of that 
noble martyr, Calvin stood ready to doom his soul and 
body to everlasting flames because of this difference in 
theological opinion. The friends who gathered around 
Servetus urged him to confess that Jesus was God the 
Son, but he consistently prayed, "Jesus, thou son of 
the living God, have mercy upon me." That prayer, 
he knew, would not suffice, to save him from a terrible 
martyrdom; hemustsay "Jesus, thou Son of the living 
God," no longer, but " Jesus, the living God," or there 
could be no sal vat ion for him, either in this world or 
any other. He expired refusing to comply, and thus 
allowed himself to be offered as a holocaust to theo- 
logical intolerance. 

Now, as the doctrine of the absolute deity of Jesus 
is entirely distinct from the simple doctrine of his 
divinity, imury people declare their belief in the divin- 
ity of mankind, in the divinity of natural law . and yel 
do notmean that they believe in the deity of man or of 
natural law; the word divine does no1 necessarily mean 
deific, "deific," being a very much higher word in 
theological parlance than "divine.' 1 The divine son] in 
man is shared by all humanity, almost all philosophers 
believe in a divine human soul. Esoteric Buddhists call 
it Atma, and designate it the seventh principle. The 
divine soul is superior to the spiritual soul, and again 
thehuman soul is superior to the animal soul, in Buddhis- 
tic theosophy. In the first chapter of the fourth Gob- 
pel, we are introduced to a learned dissertation upon 
the Logos or divine Word; the Gnostics of the early 
Christian Church declared the Logos to be the in- 
dwelling word, revealing the will or law of God in 



SPIRITUAL TIlEKArKT'IK -. 37 

every human heart. Now it is quite possible to inter 
pret the divine sonship of Jesus in such a light as to in- 
clude the divine sonship of all humanity. And while 
departing from the ordinary theological standards and 
rejecting- the canons of interpretation which are re- 
garded as alone sound in the orthodox Christian world, 
we may profitably interpret the Gospel of John as a 
spiritual disquisition concerning the spiritual nature of 
the universe and man, rathei than as a historical 
narrative. Let us remove this subject entirely out of 
that petty, arbitrary and quarrelsome realm, to which, 
unfortunately, it is so often degraded, and from the noble 
height of spiritual contemplation see Jesus standing 
before us not as a mythical personage, or a solar myth, nor 
as a man mysteriously endowed with a nature foreign 
to that of all other human beings, but as one who has 
run the race which we are now engaged in running, 
won the prize for which we are now fighting, already 
wearing the crown which shall forever rest upon the 
brow of each of you when you have accomplished your 
spiritual warfare as he long ago accomplished his. 

Jesus in history represents whoever has overcome 
the world; he says to his disciples, " Be of good cheer, 
I have overcome the world." If he has overcome the 
world you also will overcome,! >ecause he has overcome 
it; because he lives you will live also; because he has 
entered into the heavens you will also enter into them ; 
because he has ascended to his Father, who is also your 

ther, therefore you will ak ad. 

Thus in the true light in which the New Testament 
story presents Jesus to mankind, he does not stand to 
us in the relation of an incarnate deity, a super angelic 



38 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

personage, or one belonging to a divine order of beings 
altogether separated from humanity, but lie appears 
simply in the light of one who has graduated with the 
highest honors from the school of earthly discipline, 
one who has learned every lesson that can be learned 
on this planet, one who has completed the circle of 
embodiments on this orb, one who has passed beyond 
the need of further discipline, and has therefore en- 
tered that realm of absolute spiritual being which is the 
true home of every soul. 

Now, many say, is it not strange thai oul of the 
records of past history you should be able to gather 
sufficient materials for an ideal character! [snot our 
ideal in the future rather than in the past i Is not the 
glorious Eden-time in advance instead of in the rear? Is 
it not true that to-morrow will surpa > in spirit- 

ual advancement? Is not to-day in advano iter- 

day? In affirming that one who lived 1,800 or 1,900 
years ago had already attained to spiritual perfection, 
are you not denying evolution, which demonstrates an 
incessant improvement of species and progress of man- 
kind? 

We answer, we are not denying advancement in any 
sense; but the progress of universal mankind has certainly 
been indicated or outlined by the special attainments 
of exceptional Messiahs or Avatars who have blessed 
the world in ancient days, souls who have periodically 
visited like spiritual comets different nations of earth, 
wandering like spiritual stars over the spiritual firma- 
ment of many climes, in many ages, prophesying of 
universal human attainment. 

Occasionally upon the tree of human life a fruit has 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

appeared fully ripened ; that thoroughly ripened speci- 
men has been gathered into the celestial kingdom ; the 
remainder of the fruit is yet green. Here and 
there in life's harvest held a golden sheaf has fully 
ripened, and that sheaf has been gathered in. Those 
ripened sheaves are first fruits, which have already 
been waved in the temple as an earnest of the abundant 
harvests which are to follow. 

jus attained to perfection; he expired physically 
upon the cross with the words upon his lips, "It is fin- 
ished;" and you realize that the majority of human 
being's pass away with the thought in their minds, kk my 
work is unfinished," they feeling almost invariably that 
there is much work for them still to do, and if they 
could only live their life over they could improve that 
life in every respect. A great deal of the fear of 
death, of reluctance or unwillingness to take the step 
into the unseen state is occasioned by a reeling that 
earthly tasks are not finished, duties appear unfulfilled, 
conquests yet need to be won, many talents have not 
been utilized. In contrast to all this, can you not imagine 
something of the glory of a soul that can pass from 
earth exclaiming, "My work is finished?" Not fin- 
ished for eternity, but finished for time; not finished 
with regard to all the blazing worlds in space, but iin_ 
ished with regard to this planet; not finished in re. 

1 to my total spiritual mission, which will occupy 
me throughout eternity, but perfectly finished with 

d to this planet. Jesus is reported to have said, 
" For a certain cause came 1 into the world.'' lie 

ared he could not leave the world until this work 
was done. lie stands before us all in hist < perfect 

representation of human perfection. 



40 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

You who have studied " The Light of Asia" as 
interpreted to Englishspeaking readers by Edwin 
Arnold in his charming poem bearing this title, or 
"the Great Renunciation," will remember that Buddha 
attained to Nirvana, or the state of absolute spiritual 
blessedness (perfect oneness with Deity) before he 
quitted the material form. This leads us to ask, [sit not 
possible in this earthly school that once in a while a 
scholai should graduate with highesl possible bono 
That once in a while we should behold a foregleam of 
the utmost possibilities of humanity? Is it not possible 
that here and there some great and regal spirit should 
appear before you and willingly take upon himself 
all material discipline in order that humanity may be 
uplifted, and then discover at last that there is no vica- 
rious atonement in the orthodox Bense of the term, 
but that every one who willingly lavs down his life for 
another's good lays it down Tor himself as well as for 
others? The greatest difficulty which lias ever be- 
set theological controversialists is the difficulty of vica- 
rious suffering. Now we all see that there is much 
vicarious suffering in the world. Many sutler for the 
good of others. Martyrshave been put to death and 
many future generations have been benefited by their 
martyrdom. Warriors and soldiers have willingly shed 
the lastdropof their life blood for their countrymen, and 
their patriotism has been rewarded in the salvation of 
the nation for which they died. But if you follow 
such into spiritual life you will find that no deed of her- 
oism, no act of patriotism, no willingness to suffer for 
the sake of humanity has ever left the sufferers unre- 
warded, Each soul has suffered for its own advance- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 41 

ment, even though unacknowledged, as well as for 
others; and in enduring suffering with no thought of 
self, heroes have reached the sublimest heights of unself- 
ishness and are thereby placed above all need Tor fur- 
ther encounter with difficulty for the last demon you 
have to conquer is selfishness; the last enemy you must 
put under your feet is the devil of personal pride and 
human ambition ; the last sin that is finally dislodged 
from the human breast is the love of one's self more 
than one's neighbor. When divine love for humanity 
is fully manifest in any individual, when any are will- 
ing to lay down their life for the world regardless of 
consequences to themselves, not looking for happiness 
hereafter or thinking anything about reward, but only 
tiring to work for humanity, demanding no recom- 
pense, doing good for the love of it — when any soul 
reaches such a point in its advancement, we care not 
whether the man or woman is an avowed atheist or 
theist, whether the mind is spiritualistic or materialistic 
in its external proclivities, we care not whether such are 
members of any church or advocates of any religious 
tern they may worship in a cathedral or in the open 
air,orthey may not recognize that there is anyneed for 
outward worship in the universe; we care not whether 
such individuals sat on thrones on earth or begged 
bread from door to door, in such do we behold a true 
manifestation of divine life. 

True spirituality is not a question of head, brain or 
intellect, neither is it one of theology, or of belief in a 
life to come. It is altogether a question of beingso truly 
imbued with divine life that you love a million of your 
neighbors a million times better than you love yours 



42 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

If you love each of your neighbors as well as you love 
yourself, you must love two neighbors twice as well as 
yourself, and the great bulk of humanity as many tin 
better than you love yourself, as the mass contains 
more units than one. 

As the bulk of humanity is composed of units, each 
one must be as valuable as yourself in the gighl of the 
Eternal and you are not established fully in truth till 
you look at humanity from the divine standpoint. 

There is certainly in history an ideal life, and we 
do not hesitate to affirm that no one could ever have 
written the life of a nobler man than ever lived, for 
had there been no materials to furnish the story tl • 
could have been no record. You can not portraya char- 
acter nobler than your own conception of it. You can 
not paint a picture beyond your highest conception of 
art. You can not compose music transcending your high- 
est genius. If there is a lack anywhere it is always in 
the outward form, for this can not surpass what is in 
the author's mind. The author's mind is, however, fre- 
quently above the book he writes. Therefore if an 
author presents you with a hero who dazzles you by 
the splendor of his soul, that hero whose life is written 
is not so great a hero as the hero who was an actual 
reality to the author. If anyone sinus a song evei 
divinely, that song is not so divine in its rendition as 
it is in the spirit that is beyond all outward interpre- 
tation. 

So, wlien, after reading a life of Buddha or of Jesus 
the Christ, you have asked, "But did such a man 
Buddha ever exist? Was thereever anyone on earth so 
good as he? Anyone who voluntarily gave up all the 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 4^ 

splendors of an empire to identify himself with Buffer* 

ing humanity i Was there ever anyone so pure as J< 
ui Nazareth I" 

The answer is emphatically yes. The theory that 
Jesus is a solar myth and the twelve apostles twelve 

is of the zodiac, is utterly inadequate to account for 
the moral and spiritual side of the narrative as all rea- 
sonable people must be well aware. We admit that in 
ancient days the sun was the chosen symbol of divine 
life and Light; but when the Egyptians paid adoration 
to the god of day they did not according to esoteric 
teachings, bow before the material orb Ave call the sun, 
but before the mighty angel Osiris, who dwelt in the 
sun. And when they turned their eyes in worship to 
Alcyone the center of the Pleiades they declared that 
central orb in the universe to be the abode of the high- 
est intelligence which could be made manifest to human 
comprehension. 

Solar worship was not idolatry, not materialism, but 
sprang from recognition of every world in space being 
the result of spiritual laws and operations. When you 
turn your eyes to the spheres above you, contemplate 
the stars, and strive to number the constellated worlds 
shining in the midnight heavens, each star a sun blazing 
forth in glory with planets and satellites revolving 
around it in the depths of space, remember thatth 
not the only inhabited world; we are not the only oon- 

ras intelligent beings looking out upon the glorious 
night. Ev( r and i am is, was. or will be 

inhabited, e itellite bears some form of life, and 

..random 1 of the sun, the majesty 
the planet, or the development of the satellite is the 
loped life there 



14 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

When the old system of solar worship, which a large 
number of people are to-day bringing forward as proof 
that there was no personal Christ, no personal Buddha, 
no personal Osiris, no living Messiahs and Avatars in 
ancient days is understood and interpreted in the light 
of the spirit, it will be found to mean nexl to nothing 
of what it is supposed to mean by the school of Dnpuis 
and others who declare it to be nothing bey ond exter- 
nal worship of celestial orbs. Every world is a mani- 
festation of mind. Ina higher stage of the world's de- 
velopment men will be able to navigate the air, and even- 
tually on wings of spirit to pass from planet t<> planet. 
Observatories will some day be erected upon earth's 
hilltops, and there, by means of powerful instruments of 
observation, entirely unknown to you and impossible in 
your present state of development, you will behold the 
condition of other worlds and know absolutely of this 
earth's relation to other realms in space; you will at 
length perceive those who at the close of any cycle li, 
passed on (numbering 144,000, in mystical Apocalyptic 
numeration), have passed from the earth to the next 
planet. It is to the planet Mars that you must turn to- 
day for illumination from those who have graduated 
from the earth and have passed to comparatively celes- 
tial states. 

We introduce these remarks into this lesson because 
of the opportunity they afford for reconciling what a 
great many people imagine to be irreconcilable state- 
ments concerning the rise and fall of nations. We tell 
you the very ground upon which you now tread was 
once occupied by intellectual giants in comparison to 
which you are pigmies; that the civilization of pre- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPBUTK IT) 

historic California was far beyond its civilization to-day, 
and that when through natural changes wrought byup- 
heavals on the Pacific Slope, ancient centers of civiliza- 
tion were entombed, the immortalized inhabitants hav- 
ing developed out of material conditions passed on to 
the next planet, and now shine down upon you from the 
sphere of Mars. 

Whenever one cycle of advancement is completed 
anywhere a new era commences. The future of tin's 

Id will witness the absolute spiritualization of the 
entire earth. The future golden age will include in its 
blessings every human being. The culminations of the 
most exalted prophesy, will be seen in the perfection of 
the entire planet and all upon it. In the past, here 
and there, there have been seen expressions of what 
the world and humanity will at length attain to, and 

se expressions have been the essential Christ within 
humanity revealing itself externally. Many per- 
constantly use the word God in reading the Bible 
though there were only one original equivalent for God, 
whereas every one who can interpret Scripture with the 
light thrown upon it by an accurate knowledge of 

brew, understands that the word God is used in 
three if not more senses. You are told that no man 
hath seen God at any time. God in this place means 
the Eternal One, the Infinite Being who is utterly in- 
visible and beyond all outward recognition. You are 
told in the first and second commandments of the deo- 

jue that there is no form known to man which may 
be tern i of God, you conclude then, God is 

not in human form, because if God were in human 
form then the form of God would be known. God the 



46 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

Eternal, self-existent Being has never been seen by 
man, the form of God is not known. Madam Blavat- 
sky in her "Isis Unveiled " comes much nearer to a 
correct interpretation of the highest thought concerning 
Deity than do those whose theology is protrayed by 
Gustave Dore in his celebrated picture of the Trinity, 
which represents God as an older man, a younger man 
and a dove. The older man is called the Father, the 
younger man the Son, and thedovethe Holy Spirit. In 
an eternal trinity there oa/n be no senior and junior per- 
sons, but there can be an older and a newer manifesta- 
tion of God; thus in a secondary sense a conception of 
God in human form is not inaccurate as the Infinite 
Being is revealed to man through humanity and can be 
revealed in no other manner. 

In an inferior sense the word God has been used to 
signify a mighty angel, the ruler of the planet. Th< 
fore though God the Eternal has never been seen by 
man, the representative or messenger of Deity, the 
special angel who reveals God to the world has been 
seen. In a third and yet lower sense of the word God, 
you read in the New Testament that they were called 
gods upon whom the spirit of God came; in ancient 
days they were also called sons of God and sons of 
God were often called gods. In early chapters of the 
Bible yon are told that sons of God inter-married with 
daughters of men. Who were these sons of God \ They 
were members of those ancient orders at the head of 
which stood the order of Melchisidec, sons of light, or 
sons of the sun, they were called in ancient Egypt. 
Now if those peculiarly endowed and highly privile^d 
persons inter-married with earthly women, not for the 



SPIRITUAL THERAPBUTT IT 

purpose of spiritually refining thorn but for purposes of 
material gratification, those who belonged to the higher 
orders inspirit degraded themselves without elevating 

those with whom they became united. The fallen ;in- 
3 of theology are only those who were appointed to 
a higher mission, but fell through false ambition, while 
the unf alien are those commissioned with a divine and 
glorious authority who have been faithful to their trust 
and never diverged in the slightest degree from that 
high and holy mission appointed them 

Two Adams appear in the Bible— a first Adam and 
vond Adam. One Adam is o( the earth earthy, 
the Adam who fell is called the first Adam, while the 
Adam who restored the loss caused by the fall of the 
first is called in the New Testament the second Adam. 
Christ is called the second Adam, but Christ esoterically 
means the higher principle in man which redeems the 
lower. Now the Adam of early days interpreted spir- 
itually signifies the human soul in its primal innocence, 
hut the soul in a condition of ignorance, not yet having 
encountered the trials and temptations of earth. This 
be may he termed celestial infancy, spiritual baby- 
hood ; and is like to a child reclining upon the mother's 
pure and spotless. You call it an immaculate 
little darling, not knowing the difference between right 
and wrong, or good and evil, but while you cannot 
attribute sin to the child, still do you wish your child to 
remain a child forever? The child must grow up to 
man's or woman's estate, must go out into the world 
and encounter every form of temptation, for it is temp- 
tation that tries the power of the spirit. Therefore 
when upon the height.- of Calvary, Jesus with triumph 



48 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

exclaims, "It is finished/' and he is identified with 
the second Adam, he represents the soul that has 
finished its earthly course, having put matter with all 
its temptations forever beneath his feet. The soul which 
has vanquished every earthly trial and arisen victorious 
on the wings of spiritual effort and self sacrifice is 
above the need of painful discipline forever after. 

The Christ of history and theology is more than 
the personal Jesus, being the representative of ideal- 
ized and glorified humanity. What Jesus has already 
become you will all in future ages attain unto. 

The divine Logos or Word is "The light that en- 
lighteneth every man that cometh into the world/' 
and is therefore not a person but the spiritual prin- 
ciple in humanity which personality must at length 
make manifest. 

Now, if the divine Word were confined to the 
personal Jesus, how could it illumine every man that 
cometh into the world? If salvation depended upon 
knowledge of a personal Christ, since Jesus was on 
earth but thirty-three years at one period in the 
world's history, it would be utterly impossible for 
hundreds of millions of human beings to be saved, 
because they could have no opportunity of knowing 
that such a person as Jesus ever lived. Bishop Thorn 
an eminent Methodist, has declared that he does not 
believe in the necessary damnation of the heathen, 
and says he could not carry any Christianity to the 
heathen if he felt that Christianity compelled him 
to teach such an infamous doctrine as the damna- 
tion of the heathen, who had no opportunity to be 
saved. This view may be regarded as representative 



SriRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 49 

of all enlightened Christian teaching, which is to the 
effect that only willful rejection of truth is an on- 
pardonable offense. 

Bat if belief in an individual Christ is not neces- 
sary to the redemption of the world, if heathens and 
Jews can be saved as well as Christians, if fifohame- 
dans and Buddhists can go into the Kingdom of 
Heaven together, then what is essential to salvation! 

The essential Christ is the divine life within you, 
your own divine soul, which is the candle of the 
Lord burning upon the candlestick of your moral 
nature; and. as salvation does not depend upon be- 
lief in historical records, neither upon trust in a per- 
son, it does depend upon following this divine light. 
And, as salvation depends entirely upon following 
the divine light, you can readily understand how 
Jesus taught a gospel totally distinct from that gos- 
pel in which his name has been disfigured instead 
of glorified by popular Christianity. Jesus said, 
Many shall say to him at the judgment, " Lord % 
L<>,<1" who will not enter into the kingdom of 
heaven. 

The only passport into the Kingdom of Heaven is 
the passport of charity, morality and justice expressed 
by ministering to one's fellow beings. Surely an Athe- 
ist can feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give conso- 
lation to the sick and distressed and visit those in prison. 
Does nol Jesus say those who have done these thii 
shall be upon the right hand, those who have not shall 
be upon the left. 

The way of salvation laid down by the gospel proves 
that a true following of Christ signifies becoming imbued 



50 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

with the spirit of truth in love. It is utterly apart 
from theological controversy, and depends solely on 
following the divine voice within the souL 

We declare there is no one upon earth who lias not 
the divine candle within; no one who has not heard the 
voice of the true Christ; no one who has not been ap- 
pealed to by the angel side of his own nature; no one 
who is not invited to become a member of the body of 
Christ. When Paul said there are many members but 
one body, and even so is the Christ, did he not say that 
the Christ was the compact body, the spiritual organiza- 
tion of true, tried and faithful soulsl 

Jesus may have represented the head to Paul, 
Buddha representing the head to many Asiatics; Osiris 
may have represented the head to tin 4 ancient Egyptians 
in some older dispensation scarcely known to history; 
other lights whose names are unrecorded may have 
represented the Christ to those who lived in prehistoric 
antiquity; still the Christ ever represents the sphere of 
perfected souls, and the light shines down from the 
celestial heavens pulsing ever earthward until it reaches 
to the outermost boundaries of human perception. The 
Christ of antiquity, the spiritually endowed, the truth- 
bringer, the truth-teller is not confined to person or to 
age but is the one divine life made manifest to all hu- 
manity. 

"We do not urge upon any one to accept a historical 
manifestation of Christ if they have difficulty in doing 
so on account of the paucity of evidence. No one should 
be required to accept anything as spiritual truth which 
hisown soulisnot capable of discovering for itself. Ex- 
ternal authority must be displaced in favor of interior 
conviction. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 51 

We are often asked concerning the position of Jesus 
in the spiritual world. We state that it lias been given 
to earth on the testimony of the most exalted intelli- 

ices who have ever communicated with man, that 
Jesus occupies, as an individual soul, a place of peculiar 
exaltation in the spiritual heavens overshadowing the 
earth. If many do not know of Jesus in spirit life, 
they are simply in ignorance concerning him. But we 
would urge upon you all when dealing with communi- 
cations of a negative character, no matter where they 
come from, to remember that negative testimony is not 
accepted in any court of law, only affirmative testimony 
is considered of value. If one honorable, upright person 
whose word need not be doubted, goes into court and 
states that he knows such and such a thing to be true, 
the testimony of that one person is considered of in- 
finitely more value than the negative utterance of a 
million persons, who know nothing whatever of the 
matter under consideration. If one person, whose 
veracity is unquestioned positively affirms anything, 
his testimony is accepted and from it jury and judge 
alike consider and decide. Soit is ever with regard to 
spiritual truth and the higher aspects of spiritual teach- 
ing; not what the majority do not know, but what the 
minority know and are able to impart intelligently is the 
measure of spiritual truth favorably considered by an in- 
telligent community. 

We have encountered many — yes, we say "many" 

advisedly — who have absolute knowledge that Jesus 

now exists in the spiritual world and that he is an ex- 

m not then be SO foolish as to say that 

he does not exist, which would be equivalent to putting 



52 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

out our own spiritual eyes because somebody else can not 
see, or destroying our own spiritual ears because some 
body else can not hear. 

True charity demands no false compromises. We 
cannot depend for evidence upon what is not known 
or not revealed; but all should be ever on the alert al 
all times and everywhere to receive the very utmost 
that can be received from the spiritual heavens within 
and without man on earth. 

The gospel of Jesus stands, however, without refer- 
ence to his personality as the very highesl truth ever 
embodied in literature. We can surely all maintain that 
if we live in accordance with that gospel, obey tl 
precepts, and conduct commercial transactions in har- 
mony with the Golden Rule, the world will soon become 
a paradise. We would rejoice to sec merchants put it 
to the test, and then give an opinion. The trouble 
between labor and capital is all because the Golden 
Rule is not obeyed. There can be no settlement in 
case of strikes and other labor agitation favorable to both 
sides and to all humanity until the Golden Rule solves 
the problem of labor and its relation to capital. 

The deepest significance of the Golden Rule is, that 
you feel toward others as you would have others feel 
toward you, but there are unfortunately a large num- 
ber of people who are willing to let their religion lie in 
the realm of sentiment without putting it into practice 
such people will readily say, "Oh, yes, you should fed 
kindly toward evey one," but while they accept truth, 
theoretically, they are not willing to translate it into 
action. Jesus found this condition among the people 
whom he distinctly taught that sentiment was not suf- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUT1 

ficient, religion must be taken oat of the realm of sen- 
timent and become a part of every-day life, the high- 
est spiritual convictions are useless until practiced. 
Jesus practically interpreted convictions in this life, 
and thus earned immortal qualities. 

Because Jesus is the son of God is no proof that 
others are not sons of God. Because lighl shone in 
Palestine 2,000 years ago is no proof that there 
can not he a spiritual revelation in this day or in future 
tim- 

We maintain that the teachings attributed to Jons 
are intrinsically valuable. We do not care whether 
they were uttered by him in Palestine 2,000 years 

i or in an ante-deluvian country 20,000 years a 
If the»teachings now on record arc put in practice the 
world will be saved and redeemed, and if those teach- 
ings are not practiced all the belief in the world, all 
the baptism in the world, all the reception of sacra- 
ments, all the preaching possible will fail to redeem 
humanity. You must eat and drink spiritual truth. 
Fou must eat the flesh and drink the blood — that is, 
your daily life must become one with that spirit of 
truth which was made specially manifest in the higher 

nei's of humanity. 

Jesus as an historical pers we decidely be] 

in as one who lived in harmony with the highest law ; 
and the same highest law is now in existence — the law 
of love. The highest teachings now given to the world, 
are in response to human needs. Let there be no 1 
tility between Jew and gentile; no dispute as to 
whether Moses or Jesus are personages, the teaching 
true in principle, inspirit it is now here and can stand 
upon its merit. Whatever bas demerit must fall. I 



54 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC-. 

of inherent inperfection and from no other cause. 
Carping critics who cannot interpret the beauty and 
sublimity of the gospel would pick Haws in the charac- 
ter of an angel far more quickly than in an ordinary 
mortal, because angelical dispositions are not bo much 
in harmony with their affections. Every one admires 
most whatever is most in accord with his own standard 
of excellence; and as every one lias a standard of his 
own you must perceive the highest standard in order 
to truly admire the highest teachings. Therefore it is 
a compliment to Jesus, to the gospel and to all highest 
expressions of spiritual truth when sensual people 
throw dust and discredit upon them. Was there evei 
amartyr or reformer, man or woman, who stood above 
the age, who was not persecuted by those wh# could 
not comprehend them? They who have lived in advance 
of their time have ever been termed in league with 
Satan. Because Jesus proclaimed the higher truth ho 
was said to be under the influence of Beelzebub, the 
prince of Devils. Later on Galileo and Copernicus 
were called fools and fanatics, so with all great reform- 
ers and inventors; until the world has grown up to their 
plane of thought it reviles them. Spiritual truths are 
often under a ban, but truth must conquer, and that 
perfect light which is in each one, the ideal life will 
eventually include in its embrace the entire family of 
man. Then will the great body of the Christ be 
vealed. Then will all be one in spirit and at length 
visibly constitute one great united family. 

Personalities will no longer be objects of worship, 
but the perfection of spirit made manifest through all 
mankind will constitute the perfect coming of the 
Christ in the ultimation of God's kingdom upon earth. 



LESSOX IV, 



EVIL AND ITS REMEDY. 



THE following discourse is in answer to numerous 
questions concerning- the Devil, evil spirits, demon- 
iacal possession, obsession, causes of insanity and many 
subjects of like nature concerning which we have been 
literally deluged with inquiries. We trust the reader 
will find in the next few pages a reasonable exposition 
of our view of evil and its remedy. 

That belief in an outside devil or in some evil spirits 
exterior to man, is widespread none will deny, and that 
there is, in a certain sense, valid ground for supposing 
the existence of extraneous diabolical agencies scarcity 
needs arguing; at the same time we can not see how 
any theory of a personal devil can help to solve the 
great problem of the ages, the mystery of seeming evil. 
The very watchword of metaphysicians is," All is good ; 
there is no evil,'' and so startling is this affirmation to 
s of many, that, having heard it proclaimed, they 
turn away in resentment from the only system of 
thought which can possibly explain the riddle of exist- 
ence in harmony with the idea of infinite love and wis- 
dom as supreme in the univer 

Nov. very many orthodox or semi-orthodox persons 
who can not endorse Calvinism with its frightful doe- 
trine of election and reprobation, endeavor to explain 

55 



56 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

the existence of evil in man by reference to an outside 
prince of darkness, who injects evil and irreverent 
thoughts into the human mind. They consider it fearful 
to contemplate evil as inherent in man. Their view of 
human natuue is too bright and lenient to permit of their 
attributing evil to man directly. They therefore indulge 
in the subterfuge of a scape-goat, and argue from 
Scripture, poetry and philosophy to prove the exist- 
ence of a veritable personal devil, whose maiueuvers 
are so incessant and effectual that man is constrained 
against himself, and contrary to his own desires, to 
eschew good and practice evil. 

Such a theory is at once illogical, nonsensical and 
pernicious, as we will now endeavor, as briefly as 
possible, to prove, and, as believers in the saered- 
ness of the Bible are frequently inclined to favor 
such a ridiculous conclusion, before directing our 
gaze elsewhere, we will take up seriatim, the script- 
ural narrative on which the devil theory is usually 
based. 

The second chapter of Genesis is ordinarily ap- 
pealed to, to sustain the theory of the personality 
of the source of evil in the world, the metaphorical 
serpent being usually considered as his Satanic Maj- 
esty in the guise of a talking snake. This narra- 
tive, when intelligently interpreted, however, gives 
no sanction at all to such a theory; on the contrary, 
it completely refutes it. Four characters are intro- 
duced to us by whoever was the author of this very 
ancient allegory, which the Jews probably derived 
partly from Egyptian and partly from Persian soun 
We are told of God and His divine voice, of a male 



SPIRITUAL THEBAPEUTK :»7 

Adam, a female Eve, and a representative of a sub- 
human kingdom, who, in the form of a reptile, un- 
dertook to dissuade Eve and Adam from obeying 

the divine counsel, promising them knowledge and 
bliss as the fruit of disobedience. 

Now, a careful analysis of the four characters 
already referred to will prove to our satisfaction that 
these four actors are ever present on the stage of 
human life. God is revealed to us through our in- 
terior nature, through the moral sense or conscience, 
of which none are wholly destitute, though it is quite 
conceivable that primitive or barbaric races have little 
if any conception of this light. Eve, an interior prin- 
ciple, though not the innermost of all, stands for 
human aifections ; while Adam, the external man, 
represents the intellect. The serpent is none other 
than the animal or lower self-hood. 

Now all these elements are intrinsically good. Evil 
is inverted good, and besides inverted good, there is 
no evil. Evil then, has no real existence; it lias no 
fundamental principle; it is not, but simply appears 
to be. 

Inversion occurs only when the affections are led 
downward and outward, instead of upward and inward, 
at the solicitation of the animal proclivities, and thus 
the only devil (old Saxon de , vil) there is, is inordinate 
self-love, which means a disregard of the monitions of 
the higher nature in order to satisfy the low^er. 

This view of the serpent of temptation is at once rec- 
oncilable with anthropology and common sense. Who 
is there who has not felt the promptings of a higher 
and lower nature? Who has not felt the counter 



58 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

influence of good and evil genii? Paul, in the seventh 
chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, sets forth the 
inner conflict with amazing accuracy. After 1,800 
years the world still feels that what that wonderfully 
gifted Roman lawyer, Saul of Tarsus, experience*^ ei i 
one experiences now, unless it he that some are 
blunt , so dead to all higher impulses, that, living 
wholly in the senses, they know nothing of the con- 
flict, which can not be said to rage where no contrast of 
the opposites is presented to the understanding. 

We venture to declare thai there is not a child in 
any school or family who can not be brought up to 
rightly interpret the story of the fall and subsequent 
elevation of man, for just whal every little one under- 
goes physically exactly corresponds to what he must 
pass through mentally and morally. Conflict is essen- 
tial to growth; without it there could l>r no growth, no 
development of moral character. Intellectual great- 
ness is inconceivable apart from effort, and s<> is moral 
growth. 

Now the symbol of the serpent is a singularly 
pressiveand appropriate symbol of man's lower nature. 
as being the most subtle of all earthly creatures, and 
yet a creeping thing. It suggests immediately a some- 
thing at once attractive and repellent; a something 
good enough in its own way, and in its own place, but 
exceedingly dangerous when permitted to usurp the 
throne of the affections, and thence domineer over 
human intellect, using it as a servant of sense, when it 
should ever be the faithful follower of spirit. 

Serpents are mentioned in the first chapter of Gen- 
esis, in which earliest account of creation we are 



SPIRITUAL THEKAPEUTK 59 

informed that God created creeping things and blessed 
them. Reptiles were included in the work of the 

Almighty, which lie blessed. The Eternal, we are 
told, looked with complacent delight upon primitive 
man, in whom were all the lower kingdoms, and the 
lower kingdoms themselves were pleasant in the divine 

s. Evil is in man, but what afterward appears as 
is originally good, and only becomes evil after a 
conscious act of inversion on the part of man. 

All temptation to error comes through the affec- 
tions, therefore, it is said, the woman tempted man, 
and caused him to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. 
The woman Eve stands for the aifectional impul 
which are the desires and wishes of our nature. Our 
will is not in intellect, but in affection; therefore, the 
old word "heart" is used instead of mind when temp- 
tation is alluded to in Scripture: "Keep thy heart 
with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life," 
signifies, be especially careful as to the bent of your 
•tions, while "out of the abundance of the heart 
the mouth speaketh," means that all our conversation 
and conduct proceeds not from our intellectual convic- 
tions or beliefs, but from our loves. 

Our loves make us what we are. While, in a 

-e, it is strictly true that as a man thinketh^ so 
he is, it is plainer and deeper truth that as a man 
th, and therefore willeth or desiretb, so ho is. 

To deny the freedom of the human will in f<>f<> 

is to advocate a barbarous fatalism, so subversive of 

human weal as to conduce to the justification of every 

e crime and misdemeanor, and surely the intent 

all would-be reformers is to purge the world 



GO SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

wickedness, to rescue the evil-doer from the clutches 
of iniquity, reform the sinner, and thus effectually 
protect and elevate society. 

Those who say that reverence is natural to man, 
while the devil is always irreverent, and make like 
assertions, prove themselves ignorant of the entire 
nature of man as expressed on earth. The spiritual 
or interior nature is the good genius of our human 
intellect, and is forever urging us to a higher and 
nobler state. Reverence is our love for a Buperior 
state, and manifests the attraction which the heavens 
within have for the thinking and reflecting mind: 
Avhile irreverence is occasioned by the seductions of 
the lower nature, which is always leading us to the 
hells or inferior states of our animal existence. 

When Paul advised tin* Corinthians to be on their 
guard lest the serpent winch beguiled Eve also beguile 
them, he did not refer to a talking snake, which would 
be a curiosity to-day in any menagerie, nor to a snake 
which walked uprightly, and was afterward con- 
demned to crawl, nor to a fallen angel who, in the simil- 
itude of an enticing reptile, parleyed with our first 
parents in a terrestrial paradise. He simply warned 
them against being led away from higher things by 
the seducing charms of external nature; and thus he 
told them to ever be sober and vigilant, lest the inward 
adversary should lead them, when olT their guard, 
into the flowery but dangerous paths of sensu< >us enjoy- 
ment, when duty or moral obligation called upon them 
to heed a higher call and follow a diviner lead. 

We deny that the sensual nature is an evil nature ; 
it is a lower nature, good after its kind, but good in a 



SPIRITUAL THEBAPSUTK (11 

lesser degree than the intellectual, as the intellectual in 
its turn is good in a lesser degree than the moral or 
spiritual nature ; it is a good and useful servant, hut 
an atrocious and tyrannical master. Rightful subordi- 
nation of the lower to the higher instincts makes man 
an angel, while inordinate development makes him a 
devil, and the only devil there is, no better definition 
of which has ever been given than the old Latin sen- 
tence. Demon est 1>< us inversus. We see then at once 
how in the absolute sense there is no evil, evil being 
a condition, a state, but not the inherent nature of 
anything. 

Infinite Good is the sole creator, and man makes 
evil out of good, by turning good upside down. It is 
then in his power to repent and be converted, and his 
conversion is his act which turns the good he has in- 
verted right side up again. This spiritual truth is also 
a truth of reason, and can be amply sustained and 
aptly illustrated by phrenology, physiognomy, and all 
kindred external sciences, which, like thermometers 
and barometers, reveal the condition of the mind whose 
emotions they portray. A student of phrenology places 
before him a chart of the human head upon which lie 

- delineated the various organs of the brain. In the 
frontal or coronal regions he beholds such words as 
benevolence, conscientiousness, etc., indicating the 
noblest propensities, but toward the base of the brain, 
and at the back of the head, he reads destructives 
secret iveness, amativeness, etc. Now, if he be ignor- 
ant, he will at first assume that the utter suppression 
of the lower faculties, even to the point of their anni- 
hilation, is necessary to the development of a Lovely 



62 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

character, and following* this mistaken trend of thought, 
multitudes of self-immolating fanatics have sought in 
vain to attain the highest heaven hereon earth, as vrell 
asafter the body's dissolution, by torturing their Lower 

propensities out of existence. 

Science and reason interpose to say subordinaU . do 
not dedroy, for the hells in man must ever be rendered 
subject to the heavens in man, that divine order and 
harmony may prevail. To rein in the lower instincts, 
to make them utterly submissive to higher loves, is the 
only way to round out a graceful and delightful charac- 
ter. What we call evil then is lowergood, and is there- 
fore not evil, evil in actual sense being only possible 
when a perverse inclination di one to subordinate 

conviction to appetite,. thereby reversing the divine 
order which is that appetite should be subdued by rea- 
son, and intellect become the servant and exponent of 
the divine innermost in man, which is called sometimes 
the essential ego, and sometimes the atma in theosophio- 
al and other explanatory treatise 

Now, having thus far very briefly given a glance at 
the serpent, who generally is regarded as the devil in 
orthodox circles, let us turn to thesatan in the Book of 
Job, and see Avhether we can not account for that mys- 
terious uersonage without having recourse to any 
mythical object of mediaeval superstition, such as many 
theologians offer for our acceptance. 

In the Hebrew rendering of the Massoretic text (we 
mean that translation which is commonly used when 
the Scriptures are read in English, or referred to in that 
tongue in Jewish synagogues), the word Satan is miss- 
ing, its place being occupied by the word accuser, a 
word, which, in its original sense, has undoubtedly 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK 68 

reference to the ancient idea of an accusing angel whose 

mission ic was to arraign evildoers before the bar of 
divine justice. There can be but little doubt that in 
ptian and other ancient allegories the accuser was 
nothing other than what we are accustomed to call 
accusing conscience, conscience offended, which, when 
it raises its protesting voice, to use Shakespeare's im- 
mortal phrase, ik makes cowards of us all.* 1 This same 
conscience, when it speaks approvingly, makes heroes of 
US all. 

Now, the two personages who appear in ancient 
allegories as recording angels are probably in their 
deepest ethical significance two aspects of conscience. 
In the first case conscience, as the approving angel, 
smiles on all well-doers ; in the other instance this same 
conscience, as the accusing angel, frowns upon evil 
doers and evil doings. Everybody loves the approval, 
and hates the disapproval of conscience. Whatever 
conscience is, it is invariably beloved, courted, encour- 

d when it smiles, while all possible measures are 
resorted to, to deaden and silence it when it utters a 
protesting word. 

Now, in lighting against this accuser or adversary 
within, man is lighting against his best and truest 
friend, as he eventually discovers often to his own most 
bitter cost. Just as it is with inward conscience, or the 
moral sense we endeavor to stifle, should it upbraid, so 
it is with all extraneous influences which bear upon us 
and pronounce judgment on our acts. Many a man has 
been reduced to ignominy and disgrace by the flatter- 
iken friends, while the bitter though whole- 
Borne tonic of adverse criticism hasmade giants oi many 



g4 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

who, had they been left entirely to the tender mercies 
of particular admirers would have been dwarfs. 

To learn from an enemy, to appreciate hostile crit- 
icism, to regard an opponent as a friend, is to learn a 
hard though much needed lesson. We may many of 
us pray, if we pray wisely, to be delivered from our 
flatterers far more than from our censors, and not only 
is insincere or stupid flattery detrimental to our high- 
est interests, but too much unqualified honest admira- 
tion is apt to be injurious, as it leads us in! 
placent modes of thought and by making us thorouj 
ly contented with present attainments, offi pur, 

and holds out no inducement to futui >ry. 

Job's adversary, Satan, proved his best and most 
helpjul friend. The character of Satan .snot altogether 
charming, we must admit. The best elements in 
the character are undoubtedly sublime from ancient 
writers' recognition of the important pari. iem- 

ingly adverse influences play in human evolution, but 
the darker shades are no doubt taken from those un 
lovely attributes of character so often displayed bj 
those who take delight in hostile criticisms of otb< 
Satan is not, however, despicable or unjust. Tbei 
nothing mean or contemptible about him. Heevidently 
wants to put Job severely to the test, and after prov 
ing him at every point, shows himself incapable ol 
hurting him, while, on the contrary, he proves himseb 
at length Job's greatest benefactor. 

There is ample room for considerable divergent 
opinion with regard to Satan's motives and intents 
A discussion could easily be carried on with consider- 
able vigor on both sides, were one to undertake to 



SPIRITUAL THEBAPEU1 I 

defend the character as royal and noble, while another 
undertook to prove it harsh and unlovely in the 

me. It stands probably for justice devoid of mercy, 
for a stern, uncompromising, unmarried justice, and 
whenever justice, appears without its consort, mercy, 
it is repellant and severe. We may even go far enough 

say that Satan is a personification of one divine at- 
tribute, while the Lord, with whom Satan converses, is 
another attribute. These attributes of Deity, Justice 
and Mercy, are often represented as separate and dis- 
tinct persons holding converse with eacli other. In- 
deed the orthodox Christian trinity lias originated in 
many theological schools with this very highly per- 
iled description of the attributes of Deity to be 
met with in ancient Scriptures. God the Father is 
ice, God the Son is Mercy, and the two are one. 
We can not, of course, accept the doctrine of ti 

sons in one God in the sense in which the word 
person is commonly employed, hut we can readily 
how the divine justice has given the world a concep- 

i of a severe and implacable Sovereign, while the 
divine mercy has given the idea of an infinitely gt ntle 
and loving Savior. A broader view reconciles ti 
attributes to each other in human thought, and 
ine atonement or reconciliation is effected between 

divine attributes, so far as we are concerned, when 
we see them for the first time in their true relation. 

The whole difficulty in theological controversy has 

been that men will persist in arguing about oppositions 

and changes in the divine character and attitude, while 

ing change in God is only a reflection we 

behold of a change in ourselv 



66 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

When Job is subjected to Satan's bufferings, he is 
as much in the hands of infinite beneficence as he was 
before the commencement of those dire catastrophes 
depriving him of all his possessions, calamities appar- 
ently utterly unmerited, and therefore most difficult to 
understand and most hard to be reconciled to. Job 
shows his wisdom truly when he raises the cry. Shall 
we receive good at the hands of God, and shall we Dot 
also receive evil from the same divine source I 

A flippant critic will point to such pa as these 

in proof of his rabid and hasty theory of Biblical con- 
tradictions, but the careful and cautious student, the 
deliberate thinker, who, perusing ancient records, si rives 
to discover how men thought about the darkest and 
most perplexing phases of human experience in days 
of old, will see in it a faithful and penetrative admis- 
sion that much, if not all, that appears evil is good in 
disguise. 

It was a thought of olden days widely spread that 
six months in every year were under the dominion of 
good, and the other six under the control of evil genii. 
Anyone acquainted with Egyptian beliefs must be 
aware that the vulgar thought among the unenlight- 
ened was that out of the twelve constellations through 
which the earth annually passes, six were good and six 
were evil. The reign of the good began in March and 
ended in September, while the reign of the evil began 
with the autumnal and ended with the vernal equinox 

In Persia, Ormuzd, the power of light, is repre- 
sented as creating six gods. Ahriman, the power of 
darkness, is said to have created six also. But in 
Egypt? every year on the 25th of December, the 



SPIRITUAL TiiERAPErn 7 

victory of light over darkness was celebrated, i 1 ^>1, 
the builders of that miracle in stone, the great p ra- 
mid of Gizeh, so constructed it that twice every year 

-hould be fully bathed in the glorious light of the 
sun, the befitting" symbol of the eternal and ineffable 
Deity, whose light never grows dim, and whose good- 
is is meted out to man as truly in the dark winter 
of adversity, when man's mortal mind, symbolized 
by earth, turns away from its illuminator, as in the 
bright summer of prosperity, when that same mortal 
thought is in perihelion with the divine. 

In the Christian calendar, Michaelmas day, Sep 
tember 20th, is a festival of rejoicing in honor of 
an archangel's victory over the dragon, and it is a 
very impressive circumstance, deserving of far more 
than passing notice that such a festival occurs at 
the very season when the earth passes into Draco, 
or Scorpio, the first of the six evil signs. The in- 
tent of such a festival, when traced to its origin, is 
to show that in religious thought God is as much 
the author of what we call evil as of what we call 

d; that evil is only some obstacle or impediment 
in our way, which we needs must overcome; and, 
while trials need to be surmounted, passions to be 
subdued, and all lower affections to be brought into 
subjection to the higher, the mystical Michael in OS, 
our higher nature, must subdue the mystical dragon, 
our lower nature. And this lower nature is a bl 

. when rightly subordinated, as it affords a sub- 
stantial base on which the temple of genuine character 
can stand erect. 

The oft-rendered solo from the M Messiah." " I Know 



68 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS 

That my Redeemer Liveth," is one of the most ex- 
quisite portrayals of confidence in the absolute and 
certain demonstration of real good out of apparent 
evil ever written. Remember Job, to whom the 
words are attributed, is in the lowest depths of 
misery and suffering when he utters them, and the 
trumpet of his voice gives forth no uncertain sound. 
He declares that he has knowledge that all is work- 
ing for the best. Were the word hop or bdievi in- 
stead of know, it would bo inadequate. That word 
hiow is a note of triumph. The word "Redeemer* 
can be translated "vindicator," if one pi 
rendering, which is equally correct : while the oon- 
troverted portion of the passage, "Though worms 
destroy this body, yet in (or out of) my flesh shall 
I see God," is really so rich in meaning, that the 
two seemingly opposite translations are susceptible 
of a perfect harmonization. Sometimes it is in the 
flesh, whilst we yet remain on earth; sometimes it is 
not till we are out of fhe flesh, or have cast as 
the mortal robe, that we clearly see the divine hand 
in all our afflictions; but, whether in or out of the 
flesh, the perfect issue is not to be doubted. 

The common orthodox interpretation which makes 
this passage allude to a physical resurrection is an 
utter falsification of the en tiro spirit of the propb 
and if those who have any doubts an this score will 
read the last chapter in the book of Job, they will 
encounter an unanswerable objection to their material 
idea of a bodily resurrection in a fleshly sense, as Job, 
after his trials were over, it is said, exclaimed, prior to 
physical dissolution, when addressing Deity in strains 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 69 

of jubilant thanksgiving, " I had hoard of Thee with 

the hearing of the ear but now mine eye soeth Th< 
Second Adventism is here robbed completely of one of 
its chief supports. Its very choicest proof text is seen 
at once by any enlightened commentator to favor 

denborg, entirely at the expense of Christadelphus, 
ifho relied on it for so much support. 

We must now proceed to consider very briefly the 

~ Testament doctrine of demons which needed cast- 
ing out of minds and bodies afflicted and insane. We 

1 scarcely remind you that demon and demonology, 
in their strictly philosophic sense, are not words of 
evil import. Socrates called his highest counselor a 
demon, which, correctly translated, means only an 
influence operating otherwise than through the medium 
of a corporeal structure. Now every student of ori- 
ental beliefs must be well aware that the Palestinian 
Jews in the days of Jesus shared the common oriental 
belief in evil spirits, and looked upon sick people in 
general, and insane persons in particular, as subjects of 
an infernal kingdom, of which Beelzebub was ruler. 

Without entering upon a dissertation concerning 
Bel, Belus, Baal, Belial, and all the various names given 
to the false god whom the Israelites were perpetually 

countering in some one of its many forms as an 
object of idolatrous worship, we may safely conclude 
that as Aaron's golden calf must have stood for mam- 
mon worship, or inordinate greed of gold and other 
material possessions, this infamous idol, called the 
prince of infernal dominions, was sensuality. The 
worship of this hideous monster was the disgusting 
and practice of sensuality in all its hybrid forms 



70 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

of degradation. When infamous idolaters sacrificed 
their sons and daughters unto devils, they delivered 
them up to the curse which follows upon depraved and 
depraving sensuality. 

If all who are striving to strengthen the moral con- 
victions of society, and who take an interest in the 
young, would tell the young men and women of tbfe 
present day that their sensual appetil tin* devil, 

that the source of temptation is in their ownlower 
nature, that they must subdue their carnal appetites by 
turning their thoughts and affections in spiritual, moral 
and intellectual directions; if they would but assure them 
that the only tempter to he dreaded is the one afcknowl- 
eged by James when he says, " Every man is tempted 
when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed/ 5 
they would do infinitely more to strengthen morality 
than by seeking to prove the existence of an alto- 
gether too convenient scapegoat. 

Devils are to be cast out, and how can they 1><* cast 
out if they are not in us? They are our own impure 
thoughts of every kind and name, and until we engi 
in the work of exorcism, in the righl spirit and accord- 
ing to the true method, we shall never be able to re- 
lieve the insane, or elevate the moral tendency of soci- 
ety. Sensuality in thought is the cause of demoniacal 
possession or obsession. Lunatic asylums are filled with 
inmates driven thither either through inordinate grat- 
ification, or unwilling repression of sensual appetii 
and we should never forget, when discoursing on 
psychic influence, that we draw to us from the un- 
seen states which are all about us whatever our desires 
attract. 



SPIRITUAL THE&APSUTft 71 

Do we believe that persons on earth are ever under 
control of outside devils J We believe they become 
so related to the psychic emanations of the impure 
minded, that they come under the dominion of error 
from whatever source it may emanate. Do we believe 
that sensitives are peculiarly liable to come under such 
malign influence? That depends entirely, not simply 
upon their surroundings, but upon their thoughts and 
dispositions. AVe attract and submit to whatever we 
fear or love. We can not resist what we fear or what 
we love. Resistance only comes with brave and 
determinate opposition toward what we neither fear nor 
love. A weak, yielding, altogether too negative and 
forceless habit of mind leads to insanity. Victims of 
mental aberration are frequently those who lack men- 
tal and moral stamina. They reflect whatever condi- 
tions are thrown around them. Indecision and weak- 

s of will lead to insanity ; while fear, as well as 
love of base things, brings us under the dominion of the 
insidious powers of darkness, which prevade the air. 

Xo moral education is worthy the name unless it 
promotes vigorous activity of the higher promptings. 
Children need to be taught the great importance of 

rect thinking, and should never be left without em- 
ployment and then scolded for being naughty because 
they have no proper occupation for brain or hands. 

ept and garnished houses are no safeguards 
the approach of evil, for unless we are con- 

itly occupied with good, we fall easy prey to the 

>ns of any tempter who may chance to come 

our way. Saloons, gaming hells, and other villianous 

haunts, will exert no attraction over the mind of youth, 



72 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTO 

if, before exposing young men and maidens to the per- 
ils and dangers of a city, parents, guardians and teach- 
ers wisely direct their thoughts into channels of 
fulness and purity. No disease can invade an organism 
not receptive to the animalcules in the atmosphere, 
which are repelled when the body is in a healthy, and 
invited when it is in an unhealthy state. 

Pure thought can not but eventuate itself in purity 
of word and act, and no influence from without can 
gain an entrance, unless invited from within either 
by morbid desires or mental vacuity. To resist the 
tempter is not possible unless our minds are attuned to 
celestial forces, and then, with the actual, positi 
of active, operative good, we can overcome all evil, 

Talmageand other sensational pulpit mountebanks, 
in their insane tirades against Spiritualism, are practi- 
cally denying God and giving omnipotent power to the 
devil. Many of the Roman Catholic clergy, including 
the far-famed Monsignor Capel, are no wiser than Tal- 
mage, when treating a similar subject. Concerning 
the influence of the departed upon those yel upon 
earth, we have always stoutly maintained thai the old 
proverb, "Birds of a feather flock together," is liter 
ally true, and that close mental associations are impos- 
sible of continuance apart from kinship of thought and 
affection. 

If persons believe they have a work to do in elevat- 
ing those in darkness, and allow mental contact for the 
benefit of those whom they seek to uplift, we can not 
conscientiously discountenance their work; but we do 
maintain that no error is more pernicious than that 
which teaches that man is a creature of uncontrollable 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 73 

circumstances, and therefore must perforce submit to 

any and every influence which may seek to gain as- 
cendancy over him. Look for the source of evil within 
and not without. Fortify yourselves by noble pursuits, 
wise companionship, and elevating trains of thought, 
at those points where now you experience weakn 
and when you feel some dark influence approaching 
you, and seeking to allure you to destruction, realize 
that your strength is in perfect trust and absolute con- 
fidence in Infinite Good, coupled with sincere and active 
effort to translate your highest sentiments into noble 
acts and words. 

When Goethe represents Faust in the clutches of 
Mephistopheles, he shows throughout the play or opera 
how deftly the seducing tempter plays upon the weak- 
ness of the student who seeks to win the earthly love 
of Marguerita, by any wile or artifice an adroit temp- 
tation may suggest. As a person, Mephistopheles is 
anyone who is desirous of rendering a service to an- 
other, no matter how unscrupulous the work in hand, 
if by so doing he can command a greater service from 
that other on his own behalf. Mephistopheles is not 
at all outside of humanity so far as his personality is 
concerned. He is to be found in clubs and drawing- 
rooms, at fashionable fi'tes and banquets; but instead 
of wearing a grotesque costume and protruding horns 
and tail, his dress is of the latest fashion, his broad- 
cloth garments are of superfine material and of latest 
cut, his linen is immaculate, while a choice and fragrant 
flower, symbolical of innocence and grace, adorns his 
buttonhole; his manners are suave as suave can be, his 
diction most polite, his avowed morals irreproachable j 



74 SPIRITUAL THERAPFXTICS. 

he often takes a class in a Sunday-school, and some- 
times mounts the pulpit stairs and there delivers an 
address of unctious sanctity. He can be all things to 
all men, in order that he may entrap some, and thereby 
further his own selfish and nefarious designs. 

Utterly unscrupulous, he seeks his prey wherever 
he may find it. He is the worst type of a man about 
town — a polished swindler, an atti dancer, an 

educated liar, a polite villain. Ee finds himself smiled 
upon everywhere, and often Laughs among his boon 
companions at the stupidity of his admirers, who are 
shallow enough to promise him their earthly all in a 
moment of intoxication induced by himself, after he 
has carefully studied their weak points and Battered 
their vanity. 

Mephistopheles, subjectively regarded, is that ele- 
ment of selfishness, vanity, or sensuality within our 
breasts that gives the adventurous libertine in society 
his opportunity. Mothers with marriageable daugh- 
ters, you may be seeking Mephistophel< son in- 
law when you are desirous of seeing your daughters 
marry well, in a worldly sense. Young men of busi- 
ness, you are courting Mephistopheles whenever you 
sacrifice principle to policy, and barter your honor for 
money or the world's applause. The love of money 
is the root of all evil. The devil is the god of gold; 
and lie or she who loves material things inordinately 
is a devil worshiper. 

How shall we kill this devil? We can not annihil- 
ate a single particle of dust, nor can we destroy one 
iota of the force which pulsates in the forms of men 
and women, but we can transform, we can transmute 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC®. 75 

what we can not and should not endeavor to destroy. 

Transmutation leads to glory. We may take all but 
lower impulses, and mastering them by the might of 
spirit, so overcome them in their lower sense, so trans- 
form their downward tendency, that while in their per- 
verted state they are the occasions of our stumbling, in 
their transfigured form they are the faithful servants 
of the soul divine within us. Asceticism is a mistake. 
All endeavors to eradicate aught that inheres in the 
constitution of man must prove disastrous in its conse- 
quences, while to find the true philosopher's stone which 
is capable of converting all inferior metals into gold is 
to find the soul within us, and so subdue our appetites 
to reason and our intellects to moral principle, thai the 
devil in us, which is but inverted goodness, will be at 
length transformed into a glorious angel of light. 

Let us all accept our earthly discipline as a means 
of noblest conquest, and in the understanding of what 
is meant by the words, 'file that overcometh shall in- 
herit all things," we can thank God for His goodness 
in giving us a lower nature to subdue. 



LESSON V. 



RESURRECI ! 



AS we have received a great number of questions 
all bearing on the subject of Resurrection, we 
have deemed it desirable to reply to a number of them 

in the following address which will be found to con- 
tain answers to a number of leading inquiries continu- 
ally recurring in the minds of all who devote much 
thought to this intensely interesting theme. 

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the cor- 
ner-stone of Christianity; without n the whole system 
falls to pieces. By Christianity in thi we of 

course mean that great religious system which prevails 
throughout that part of the world commonly called 
Christendom, not that excellence of character and ami 
ability of disposition which many people are accus- 
tomed to indiscriminately designate " Christian." 

Now, so intensely important a doctrine as that of 
the resurrection can not be supported in any literal or 
external sensein the face of modern criticism. In its 
letter the doctrine is most surely doomed. It has I 
been dying, and is now almost if not entirely dead 
among earnest and liberal thinkers on the subject ; but 
while in its letter it is rapidly becoming obsolete, and 
will soon have to be regarded as an effete dogma, a 
product of ancient ignorance and mediaeval supersti- 

76 



SPIKITUAL THEBAPEUTK 77 

tion, in its spirit it is revealing itself in a light always 
perceived by a few intuitive and clearly reason 
minds, but never until very recently beheld by the 
masses of mankind, unless it be in some remote period 
lost in the dim haze of legendary narrative which ante- 
dates the so-called "historic period." 

As an introduction to what we have to say concern- 
ing the resurrection of Jesus in particular, let us glance 
at a few of the numerous instances of resurrection from 
the tomb, or from death, recorded alike in the Old 
and New Testaments. The power to raise the dead, 
according to the Bible, is a gift bestowed upon all true 
prophets, whether under the Jewish or Christian dis- 
pensation. Elijah is said to have literally restored to 
life the beloved son of the hospitable woman at Zare- 
phath, who entertained him at her home, and sinned 
her scanty supply of provisions with him in a time of 
direful famine. Elisha, upon whom Elijah's mantle 
fell, raised from the dead the son of a Shunamite 
woman who had shown kindness to him. Jesus raised 
Lazarus, the widow's son at Xain, Jairus' daughter, 
and others, and in giving his final commission to the 
disciples who were to succeed him in his ministry on 
earth alter his disappearance from the plane of mortal 
perception, he declared that the works he had done 
they should likewise accomplish, and even do greater 
works than any he had performed in consequence of 
his on to the Father. 

In the "Acts of the Apostles" we are told of the 

irrections wrought by thedivine gift bestowed upon 

f similar to those already referred 

to. Now,in the jof resurrection from the dead, if 



78 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

the literal sense be strictly adhered to, not only is there 
no positive proof of human immortality offered, 
but we can scarcely behold even a faint intimation of 
the spiritual immortality of man. All these narrati 
are very popular with the Second Adventi&ts and oth< 
who deny spiritual life, and affirm the necessity of a 
bodily resuscitation. Of course it would be quite ] 
sible, by means of not unfair or illogical special plead- 
ing, to argue immortality from the fad of the spirit 
being recalled after it had left the form; still there are 
so many ways of escape from this conclusion without 
very much verbal juggling, that in common fairness we 
are bound to admit that the testimony on behalf of hu- 
man immortality, furnished by such narratives, is un- 
satisfactory because uncertain, and wherever ambiguity 
prevails positive conviction is outofthe question among 
close reasoners. 

These physical resurrections, in thelighl of modern 
knowledge, are intensely interesting from a therapeutic 
standpoint, and are therefore really more important 
matters to medical men than to theologians,unless theo- 
logians are willing to return to their primitive and 
rightful position as healers of the body as well as t he 
soul. Though it has always been the part of t rue theol- 
ogy to minister to sin-sick souls, it is none the les 
province to minister with equal effi< iency to beclouded 
minds and ailing frames; and because it has for cen- 
turies almost confined itself to one portion of its proper 
sphere, instead of working throughout that sphere, it 
has been not only severely reprimanded, but stoutly 
antagonized by utilitarians of every school, who can 
not see even the prospective advantages of a system 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 79 

which duos not hero and now demonstrate its beneficial 
influence upon mankind, even to the ultimatesof phys- 
ical expression. 

It is a singularly noticeable fact that priests and 
prophets in all ages have been healers of the sick. 
When James said in his epistle, "If any sick among 
you, let him call for the elders of the church," he was but 
complying with a usage so ancient that no student of 
antique customs can discover a period (say in ancient 
Egypt) when such practices were not constantly re- 
sorted to. Indeed, we are very much in doubt whether 
in olden times a priest or prophet would have been 

epted by the people at all if he had not presented 
his credentials in this manner. To heal the sick, even 
t<> the extent of raising the seemingly dead, was one 
of the leading proofs of a spiritual vocation. Words 
and deeds had to go together, or a claim to spiritual fit- 
ness for an exalted station was not received as genuine. 
Of course, it may always be argued by the materialistic 
school that the priests of old were versed in the knowl- 
*e of drugs, and, in spite of the mystery which sur- 
rounded their practice, they were really skillful physi 
cians. This, of course, may be and is in a sense correct 
but, notwithstanding all allowance which can be fairly 
made for this admission, the singular evidence of the 
prophet's gift was that he could perform works of heal- 
ing far transcending the work done by the therapi utw, 
or medical men. 

In tli j days of Moses it appears that the manner of 

;rue prophet, versus an ordinary magician, 

was at this very touchstone of his possessing or not 

possessing the healing gift. Pharaoh's magicians, at a 



80 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

period when the court was one of infamy and despot- 
ism, could do as wonderful tilings as Moses. When 
miracles were under consideration, they could claim full 
equality with the great founder of Mosaism, but when 
it came to removing plagues from the land, Closes and 
the magicians differed, as light and darkn and 

day. The magicians could convert rods into serpents, 
and then turn the serpents back into rods; they could 
multiply frogs, locusts, and all manner of pests; they 
could afflict the bodies of men and cattle in a most 
mysterious and fearful way ; they were complete mas- 
ters of the black art, but the white art of healing was 
altogether beyond them. We must never forget that 
mere wonders are no evidence of the operation ol 
divine power. Wonders of beneficence are required to 
attest the action of celestial fon 

That the physical body of man ought to be under 
the complete dominion of reason, intellect, and //•///, 
needs no argument, neither does il need an argument 
to prove that intellect in its turn needs to bow l>< fore 
the moral sense. The three universally recognized 
principles in man, the animal, the intellectual, and the 
moral, must be rightfully subordinated, the one to the 
other, or harmony, which is wholeness, symmetry, Of 
health, is impossible. 

The superiority of mind to matter needs nol t*> be 
argued; it is self-evident, as evident to the practical 
mechanic, or the potter who molds the clay, as to the 
most abstract metaphysician. That the higher should 
govern the lower, that our higher instincts should hold 
our lower passions in subjection, is admitted by Colonel 
Ingersoll as much as by any ascetic, but with this dif- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK Bl 

ference, Ingersoll differs from the ascetic in his view of 
what constitutes the highest welfare of the race. 

Now, it stands to reason that as all material achieve- 
ments are wrought by the power of intelligence, or, in 
other words, by mental and moral action; as it is be- 
yond cavil that in order to subdue the material world, 
man must at least liberate Ids reason from the chains of 
passion, it inevitably follows that the more perfect mas- 
tery one gains over one's own lower impulses, the 

iter Avill be one's influence for good upon one's 
neighbors. 

It needs no argument to prove that if one can re- 
move a heavy stone from before one's own door, he has 
sufficient strength to remove a stone of similar weight 
and proportions from another's door, if he have but 
liberty to use that strength on a neighbors 1 behalf, 
while if he is too weak to roll away a rock which bars 
the entrance to his own domicile, he can not possibly 
remove one of equal size from some one else's door. 

W 3 can not impart what we do not possess. The 

more Ave have the more Ave can bestow^ but at the 

time nothing is truer than that the best and 

liest way of learning is to teach what we do know, 
and thus put ourselves in the true way of learning 
more, while the way to receive abundantly is to 

ely to the utmost extent of our ability. 

Medical science is avowedly experimental. The 

medical testimony proves that while there are 

multitudes of open questions, there are very few set 

tied <>nrs among the medical fraternity. Joseph Cook 

I, in Boston some . in Tremont Tem- 

befor<3 a wry 1 trge audience, on the occasion of his 



82 SPIRITUAL THEBAPEUTH 

memorable discourses on probation in death, in opposi- 
tion to the theory of probation after death which he 
was combating, that an infallible test of death had not 
been discovered by modern scientists, and that a lai 
reward would gladly be placed in the hands of any one 
who could furnish the colleges with such infallible test 
as they stood in need of. 

Now, if a champion of orthodox ( Christianity makes 
such a statement as this, and it can scarcely be refuted, 
what proof is there, we ask, that any one of the per- 
sons raised to life again by Jewish prophets, Christian 
apostles, or the Christ himself, were really dead J 
Medical opinion would doubtless be that they were in 
a stupor; buried in a trance, orsomcthing of the kind 
comparatively unusual, but by no mean unprecedented. 
You have all read and heard, doubtless with much in- 
terested wonder, of many persons rising from their 
graves after interment, and to raise the seemingly 
dead, even those already buried, would be less a won- 
der in a hot country than in a e<>ld one, and still less 
wonderful at a time when epidemics being prevalent, 
interment in the ground follows almost immediately 
upon the supposition that breath has left the body. 

The statement that Lazarus had been buried four 
days would, of course, in that particular instance, add 
greatly to the marvel of his restoration, but even in 
that case it could scarcely be said that the wonder was 
unparalleled. The simplest exposition, by far the u\ 
reasonable, practical, and helpful one. is that these nar- 
ratives have probably been culled from an immei 
mass of ancient testimony to the efficacy of direct spir- 
itual healing after all external measures had proved 
futile. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 

The author of the fourth Gospel ends his record by 

ing that if everything which took place at the time 
concerning which he wrote had been recorded, the rol- 
ler ion of manuscripts would have been so greal that 
the world could hardly contain them, thereby leading 
u> at once to infer that only sample illustrations 
were given, testifying to an exuberant outpouring of 
the spirit extending throughout Judea, and doubtless 
elsewhere, astounding the populace, arousing the bit- 

est ire and indignation of interested parties whose 
fortune was derived from monopolistic enterprises, and 

erally proving to the populace that even for bodily 
ailments there was a cure unknown to the practioners 
of the prevailing schools of medicine. 

It is impossible to vouch for the accuracy of all the 
details of these narratives. They are often more or 
romantic in their style. They may even he parablesi 
but whatever they are they afford a close insight into 
the actual occurrences of that age. To say that they 

not original, to state even that they came from 
pt, hv no means disposes of them, because facts of 
such a nature can not depend upon time and place, hut 
upon nature and degree only. 

If such things can be, if they ever were, they can 
he now, provided we' learn to comply with ne 

requirements for their production. Their place in 
the Bible gives them a historic base in the minds of 
id makes them capable of stimulating hope and 
inquiry, if not positive faith in the minds of the mil- 
lions the world over who read them. AVe can safely 

e them in their literal sense as challenges to modern 

liples of truth to put the Master's theory into prat 
tice, and learn by the three fold agency of faith, prayei 



84 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

and abstinence to accomplish for suffering humanity 
to-day benefits as great as any that occurred, from a com- 
plete surrender of sense to spirit, aj o in far-off 
countries. 

But it isnot with the letter of these narratives, inter- 
esting and profitable though it be, that we are most 
particularly concerned, for through the dimness of the 
letter beams the everlasting brightness of the spirit ; 
and while the letter breaks when too hardly strain, d. 
and fails to justify itself to human reason in some par- 
ticulars, the spirit to which tin 4 letter isoften sacrificed, 
but which is never sacrificed for the sake of the lei 
bursts upon us with a refulgence so glorious that we 
cease to care whether the letter is accurate or not, 
satisfied do we become with the kernel of truth after 
Ave have broken the shell in which it lias been s<> l< 
enclosed. 

Whatever phenomenal Spiritualists may Bay to the 
contrary, the evidences of human immortality are, in 
their final analysis, totally subjective ; and when we 
say this, Ave do not for a moment intend to repudiate 
or disparage Buch objective proofs of spiritual action 
over material things as may he necessary to conduct 
the doubting mind, immured in sordid materiality, step 
by step out of the darkness of materialism into the 
light of true and abiding Spiritualism. We do, how- 
ever, most emphatically declare that phenomenal evi- 
dences of spiritual power over mortal things are only 
means to an end — useful and necessary means in many 
instances, means to be honored and not despised , but 
still only means — the end not being attained till the 
means are no longer needful. 



spun it al thebapkutios. 85 

If all Spiritualists, metaphysicians, Swedenborgians, 
and others would hut compare notes and he reasonable 

on this point, a grand, united army of spiritual work- 
ers could at once be found to storm the citadels of 
error, and let in the light of truth to multitudes of dark- 
ened minds. But just so long as blind and bigoted antag- 
onisms are inflamed by hot-headed partisans of a partic- 
ular view of truth, people who see from one point of 
view only, and persist in maintaining that what they 
see is all the truth there is to see; so long, we say, as 
such people are to the fore in any movement, whatever 
name and proportions it may assume, that much to be 
desired harmony and genuine spiritual co-operation of 

btered forces so sorely needed in the present junc- 
ture of human affairs can never be consummated. One 
side denies phenomena, calls it all fraudulent, delusive, 
or debasing ; the other side extols it beyond ail reason- 
able limits, even to the extent of denying the very 
existence of the end to which, if useful, it must of ne- 

sity lead. 

The Xew Testament presents to us the golden mean, 
and so do all rational teachers who are at the same 
time what all rational people should be, eminently 
al. In the accounts furnished by the evangelists 
of the resurrection of Jesus we have, when we take 
only a literal view, many reasons for doubt. Thomas 
Paine, in his u Age of Reason/' has borne unwitting 

imony to the spiritual sense, which he evidently did 
not perceive, when he positively ridicules the account 
as it stands literally. 

The story is that Jesus expired physically on the 
cross on a Friday afternoon, and that certain women 



86 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

remained at the foot of the cross till all was over. 
They saw their Master's dead body removed from the 
cross, or, at all events, they saw him during the very 
latest moments of his earthly existence. Not more 
than forty hours later, very early before daybreak, the 
following Sunday morning, they were at the tomb, 
which they found empty, and when these same women, 
especially Mary Magdalene, saw the risen Jesus, and 
held a conversation with him, she had no conception 
tli at it was he; but, mistaking him for a gardener, 
she confided her sorrow and amaze to him, without i be 
least suspicion, it appears, entering her mind that she 
was talking with the wry friend of whose physical 
whereabouts she was so diligently inquir 

Now, if the writers had intended to convey t h< k idea 
that Jesus rose from the (\r t ,i\ in the literal physical 
form which was buried, why did they not so record 
the event as to encourage belief, rather than provoke 
the most decided unbelief in tins connection? I 
physical form were raised, then why should the 
women and the disciples, in the case of the resurrection 
of Jesus, have any more difficulty in identifying him 
outwardly than the friends and relatives had in ident- 
ifying those whose bodily resurrection has been already 
under review? 

What would have been more natural than for Mary 
Magdalene to have been struck dumb with amazement 
at beholding Jesus standing beside her, and, for the 
time being, supposing she had seen a vision or beheld 
an apparition I But nothing of this nature, nor any- 
thing approaching it, enters into the narative, so far, 
at least, as she is concerned. He looks to her like an 
ordinary man attending to the duties of a gardener. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTU 9. S V 

and it is not until he turns to ber and pronounces her 
name in some peculiar and doubtless characteristic 
wav, accompanying the words with some silent, subtile 
appeal to her inner consciousness, that she is in the least 
aware that her beloved teacher, whom she mourned as 
dead, is talking with her, — truly alive, but not in out- 
ward appearance like unto what lie was before his phy- 
sical decease. 

Two disciples journey between Jerusalem and 
Em maus the same day. At evening they hold a long 
conversation with Jesus, without in the slightest degree 
recognizing him physically. He made himself known 
to them at a supper by some characteristic way lie had 
of breaking bread, and they then remembered how 
their hearts had burned within them as he expounded 
Scripture to them while they were on the road; but 
physical evidences of a personal character were alto- 
gether lacking, and it does not appear that any physi- 
cal proofs were given to any disciple except Thomas, 
whose skeptical mind required more tangible evidence 
in his case. To meet his necessity, to use a modern 
word, Jesus u materialized," i. <?., he produced an out 
ward form so closely resembling the physical organism 
he had once worn, that even the doubts of Didymus 
yielded to so convincing a display of the absolute power 
of spirit over matter. 

What became of the physical body of Jesus is a 
very interesting query. Most answers are totally un- 
tory. The only really helpful one is that de- 
rived from a study of occult chemistry, and a compari- 
son of the claims put forward by theosophists concern- 
ing the faculties of adepts, with prevalent views put 
forward by distinguished natural! 



88 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK 

Scarcely a physiologist of any note can be encoun- 
tered anywhere, who docs not give seven years as the 
longest time for those changes to become complete 
which periodically remodel the organic structure 
man. Oamille Flammarion, a Frenchman of 
eminence, declares thai the entire physique is remod- 
eled in less linn one year, while many parts of the 
body change entirely in not more than thirty d; 
Now, with such testimony as this before as, how ut- 
terly futile must 1><> every attempt t<> establish a theory 
of physical resurrection among intelligent persona 

And what is far more important even than i 
thrown on the resurrection in its literal sense, is the 
amazing testimony thus brought forward by physical 
scientists to the reality of the spiritual man ami the 
utter impossibility of the physical organism being any- 
thing more than a temporary and ever-changing instru- 
ment. The physical body, in the lighl of natural 
ence, is a chemical compound, susceptible of complete 
disintegration; when volatilized, as all hard sub 
can be, according to scientific testimony, — for even the 
rocks as well as the osseous formations in the human 
frame are only solidified ether or condensed atmos- 
phere, — the most rigorous external substances can be 
reduced to a state ot absolute invisibility. 

When the human will shall gain such f.owerover 
the physique as rightfully belongs to it, and as can be 
obtained by a life of complete abnegation of the lower 
instincts, that the higher may wield unrestricted sway, 
the disappearance of a physical form will not occasion 
much surprise, as the power of will is thoroughly ad(>- 
quate to separate all the particles of the structure, and 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 89 

compe] them, one and all, to return to their respective 

places in the external kingdoms of which they form a 
part. 

The body of Jesus, in our opinion, was not stolen, or 
in any way removed from the tomb. It was dispersed, 
or, as some would say, " de-materialized ." When the 
human will becomes so sovereign over sense that it is 
no longer held in captivity to sensuous proclivities, 
death will not occur even to the outward body. When 
the intelligent principle which has used it for a tem- 
porary work has outgrown the need of it, then will it 
be thrown aside painlessly and willingly. It will not 
slowly decay, it will be simply cast olF when it has 
servedits use. To teach thenecessity of disease, and to 
call decay natural before the spirit has left the body, is 
to teach a most damnable error, one which is afflicting 
the world with innumerable sorrows of man's own 
creation, and one which, in common justice to enlight- 
ened physiologists, it must be admitted they do not 
teach. 

Dr. T. L. Xichols and many others have argued 
splendidly against the prevalent notion that sickness is 
natural. To attribute disease and premature passing 
from the mortal form to an act of nature or Divine 
Providence is to call darkness light, error truth, guilt 
righteousness, and the unnatural the natural * which is 
the quintessence of mischievous absurdity. The sub- 
lime spectacle of Jesus quitting the mortal form after 
having declared his earthly work finished, is a picture on 
which all need to gaze whose shallow pessimism leads 
them to regard the effects of their own weakness and 
immorality as harmonious with the divine natural 



90 SPIRITUAL THEBAPEDTIi 

order, against which their own ignorance or willful- 
ness causes them to rebel. Illness is something to be 
ashamed of, and when one meets with accident, it is 
conclusive proof to the lynx-eyed philosopher who 
know r s somethiug of the true nature of causation, that 
spiritual perception is hut dun and instinct obscure in 
the one who stumbles and falls into danger, while if he 
were more foreseeing and discerning he could readily 
have escaped. 

The Egyptian custom of embalming the dead is not 
one which it is well for modern nations to copy. I 
mation is, in its turn, farpreferable to burial, while the 
disposal of human remains by electrical agency will 
doubtless soon supersede cremation, till at length what 
Bulwer Lytton, in u Thc Coming Race," calls vril will 
at length be the agent employed in all such undertak- 
ings; while there is yet to be discerned, still farther 
ahead, the sovereign action of will, which will leave 
even vril, with all its potencies, far in the background. 

But when we dismiss all questions pertaining to the 
outw r ard shell, and consider as we should what resur- 
rection means, in its higher aspect, the old Greek word 
anastasis, which has excited so much a psy, ap- 

pears before us radiantly transfigured, as it carries with 
it no further thought ol a physical envelope, hut admits 
to our view that spiritual body which Paul speaks of as 
altogether separate from the natural (animal) body. 
There are two bodies, the animal and the psychical. 
The former, as an individual shape, knows no perma- 
nency whatever, at any time, but is only an ever- 
changing aggregation of molecules, attracted and up- 
held by ever-varying conditions of mortal disposition. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 91 

Beyond this outward form, and altogether independent 
of it, is the spiritual body, which is a perfect structural 
organism, beautiful and harmonious in all its parts. 
In giving Spiritual treatment, one is not called upon 

to deny the existence of the body, and to use such a 
ridiculous formula as for instance, "You have no head, 

therefore it can not ache." Quite the contrary. A 
perfect head, not the absence of a head altogether, 
should be presented to the patient's thought. It is 
highly important that all should learn to see beyond 
all external limitations, and regard the whole human 
family as perfect interiorly and really as regards our 
common essential spiritual being; and when the thought 
does turn thoroughly to the spiritual, and all material 
things are forgotten, intromission to the spiritual world 
is the result. 

We are told that David, who mourned bitterly 
for his child before the breath left his body, after 
the child was actually dead physically, consoled him- 
self in these Avords, "I shall go to him, but he shall 
not return to me." Going to our beloved in spirit 
need not be postponed to a distant day, and indeed 
we have no reason to expect that the dropping of 
the material form will introduce any of us at once 
into spiritual society. We must, while on earth, cul- 
tivate our spiritual perceptions, and Learn to discern 
spiritual things spiritually, or after the demise of the 
physical organism we may lind ourselves hovering on 
the earth, unconscious of all things spiritual. What 
more credible than that many who have dropped the 

ment of flesh still continue to imagine themselves 
encased in matter < 



92 SPIRITUAL THERAPEU1 [< 

The principal danger attending promiscuous se- 
ances and sittings with mediums, with a view to 
the acquisition of material wealth, is that even 
though communications are absolutely genuine, they 
are with an order of mind not far enough removed 
above the stock-broking level to be really profitable 
to those who hold interviews with it. Editorials in 
the Golden U<t1<\ Banner of Lights and oilier avow- 
edly spiritualistic newspapers, have frequently pointed 
to the cuibonooi spiritual intercom t something 

entirely distinct From worldly emolument, and we will 
go so far as to say that it is usually demoralizing to 
drag earthly business into what ought to be a means 
for promoting the nobles! and most unselfish instincts 
of human nature. 

The chief cause of Bickness among well-meaning 
and affectionate people is sorrow. No grief can be 
so poignant as that occasioned by the !<»>s of be- 
loved friends. We are repeatedly asked, in our cla 
and elsewhere, how such grief can be and 

by a radical removal of the cause the effects be com- 
pelled to subside. Our answer invariably is that the 
only salutary treatment in such cases is to direct the 
mind of the afflicted one to the spiritual state, to 
use all the moral and mental persuasiveness von pos- 
sess to induce your patient to look away from sense 
to spirit, and if you can but get the thought finally 
off material things and on to spiritual reality, the 
outward s} T mptoms of disorder at once give place to 
a placid and even joyful exterior. As light breaks 
in from the unseen world, immediately we cease to 
dwell upon external things. 



SPIBTTUAL TH£BAPEUT* 

For this reason, Mary's attitude is preferable to 
Martha's, for an inordinate concern for worldly affairs 
is like an insect or a cinder in one's eve. When one is 
traveling through some delightful country, the most ex- 
quisite scenery is imperceptible to one whose visual or- 

s are blocked up. ^o may we not conclude that the 
only reason why we are not usually conscious of the 
presence of spiritual influences is because grief, repining, 
or some other earthly emotion keeps us absorbed in 
those externals, which, when they engage our atten- 
tion, shut out from us all view of spiritual life. After 
all, all that matters is that those in sorrow should he 
brought out of their low estate by a realization of 
spiritual truth. 

If the various resurrections recorded in the Scrip- 
tures are literal facts, they afford no evidence that 
those who were thus marvelously raised in flesh did not 
die again. Parents and sisters whose brothers and 
sons and daughters were thus physically restored to 
them, must ever after have been tormented with the 
fear of losing them again, unless some guarantee was 
given that their life was immortal. Our greatest source 
of unhappiness is our own materiality. AVe love the 
things of sense far too dearly, and thus whatever we 
may know of spiritual immortality, we are not content, 
because we sigh perpetually for companionship on the 
material plane. 

True spiritual resurrection is not the resuscitation of 
a corpse. It is nothing in any wfty physical. It is an 
illumination of one's interior being, an openingof one's 
spiritual perceptions to discern the spiritual stale Sor- 
row often helps us toward this end because it loosens 



94 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

our hold on outward things. Thus Ave can comprehend 
Job's exclamation addressed to the Almighty at the 
end of his affliction, "I have heard of Thee with the 
hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee." 
Those who are truly resurrected, in the spiritual sense, 
are those blessed ones who, even while they dwell on 
earth, are in conscious and continual communion with 
the spiritual realm. 



LESSOX AT. 



TUA.NSFIGUKATIOX. 



H 



A.VDTG received a great many questions con- 
cerning the story of the transfiguration of 

Jesus and its attendant circumstances, and being 
particularly asked to apply its teachings to mod- 
ern life, we present the following summary of our 

views on this intensely interesting subject, and as the 
subject easily permitted of it, we have embodied in this 
address replies to several questions bearing on the 
proper government of refractory children and offenders 
against the civil law. In the seventh chapter of Matthew 
we find the story of the transfiguration briefly out- 
lined as follows : Jesus takes Peter, James and John 
to a high mountain apart, and is transfigured before 
them. His face shines as the sun, and his garments 
appear white as the light. Moses and Elias appear to 
the disciples talking with Jesus. Peter asks Jesus 
whether three tabernacles can not be erected on that 
glorious height, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one 
for Elias, but before he finishes speaking a bright 
cloud overshadows them, and a voice speaks from out 
the cloud saving:, "This is my beloved son in whom I 

a' 

am well pleased,hearyehim." Whenthe disciples hear 

the voice they fall on their faces, and are sore afraid. 
►ids them arise and fear not. After he has touched 
05 



9G BPIRITDAL THBRAPBUlft 

them and they raise their cyvs the two visitors are 
no longer visible, they are alone with Jesus who tells 
them the time has not yet arrived for making public 
the vision, but he assures them after his resurrection 
the time will have arrived for publicly testifying to 
their marvelous experiences on the mount. This nar- 
rative is immediately followed by the narration of a 
marvelous c one who was op] 

with lunacy, which afford on for a homily on the 

need of faith a d of mua a topic of vital 

moment to all spiritual students), and then a practical 
discourse on paying tribute, winch seems to (.pen up to 
the earnest and intelligent meditator much import 
teaching on the subject of the proper relation existing 
between faith in God, w of the Supreme Being, 

recognition of the sole sovereignty of divine truth in 
matters of conviction and the honorable discharge of 

our duties in the external state. 

Let us transport ourselves in mind to the scene of 
the vision. Significant, indeed, is the account of its 
being seen on a high mountain, pire of speech 

which incessantly occurs in the Scriptures in com, 
tion with States of Spiritual exaltation, moral and in- 
tellectual enlightenment and conquest over enemi< 

More than three thousand y< ding to 

the Pentateuch, Moses received the Ten Command- 
ments from the hand of Jehovah, on tables of stone, 
upon the top of an Arabian mountain, while the multi- 
tude at the base were enveloped in thick darlcm 
Their eyes were so weak that after Moses had come 
down from the mountain into their midst, they could 
not gaze upon his features until he had covered his !, 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK 97 

with a veil. How striking the resemblance between 
the glorified countenance of Moses at the time of the 

giving of the law to the Hebrews in the desert and the 
transfigured countenance of Jesus when Moses re-ap- 
peared upon a mountain top in Asia Minor. 

The correspondence of a mountain is not far to seek. 

Mountainous districts are peculiarly salubrious. There 

is far less disease and far fewer early deaths on high 

>und than in low-lying valleys. Miasmic emanations 

do not reach those lofty heights. In India, during the 

summer season, when the climate in all the cities is so 

oppressive to Europeans that they can scarcely endure 

it, the mountainous region round about is health v and 

invigorating. Scarcely ever does a Western traveler 

to the far Orient suffer severely from the climate if he 

can take refuge in the mountains during the hottest 

portion of the year. 

In Europe, when the cities of the Italian plain lie 

ltering under the summer sun Alpine tourists are 

encountering bracing air wafted to them from snow- 
ed © 

clad peaks whose ermine robes are never melted, even 
though the torrid rays of the summer sun scorch to 
death every flower and blade of grass in the low-lying 
districts. The air is always pure on mountain heights, 
no matter what form of fell disorder may be raging in 
the valleys. So universally is this fact recognized that 
physicians the world over prescribe mountain air as an 
effectual antidote to disorders considered incurable 
while the patient remains on lesser elevations. 

In the religious thought of the world we find the 
sacredness of mountain heights a peculiarly conspicuous 
feature. Temples were almost always built on high 
7 



98 SPIRITUAL THBRAFBUnOS. 

ground, and it was a common belief among the ancients 
that divinities dwelt on mountains, and specially was it 
felt among the Jews in olden times that God could fight 
for them on mountain tops, and nowhere else. ( hate of 
the interpretations given of the name, Jehovah (Yah- 
veh), by some authorities is, "the god of the mountains," 
a deity who was ever at home in high latitudes, but 
utterly out of bis element on low land. 

Puerile as this definition would be of the Supreme 
Being, if any allusion to the Infli ontained in 

it, it accords bo precisely with the universal belief 
ancient peoplesthat it is but one out of many install 
proving that the Israelites Bhan d a common faith with 
the greal mass of humanity, even though a1 certain 
periods of the world's history they have undoubtedly 
been the custodians of a particularly pure and noble 

monotheism, while Jewish influence the world over has 
liberally contributed to the advancement of morals, sci- 
ence, philosophy and ait. 

But to discard the more external meanings of Bible 

mountains, let us at oncegive way for the spiritual in- 
terpretation which lies BO thinly veiled in the literal 
dress which drapes without concealing its majestic fea- 
tures that any child of ordinary intelligence need not 

err in learning the lessons such narratives as the ac- 
count of the transfiguration enforce. Asa mountain is 
a lofty height up "which no one can climb without an 
effort, as when once gained it secures a commanding 
view of surrounding scenery invisible in the valley, as 
it frequently rains down into the valleys when it is 
clear upon the hill-tops, as clouds hang frequently 
about the mountain sides, obscuring its peaks and 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 99 

completely hiding the celestial panorama we can gaze 
at when on its summit, the mountain fitly represents a 
state of mind attained alone through earnest and oft- 
times laborious effort, a mental state above the doubts, 
fears, worries and vexations of every -day existence, a 
state which once reached allows the one who lias at- 
tained it to gaze henceforth on spiritual glories undis- 
cernible by all save those who have scaled the rocky 
peaks upon whose towers one may see the pageant of 
the heavens and not the dust of earth; on mountain 
heights Ave are so far above the noise, strife and bustle 
of ordinary affairs that we seem to dwell in a fairy re- 
gion, a charmed estate where music not of earth and 
sights unknown to mortal observation entrance our 
eyes and ears with glimpses of the realms eternal. 

The everlasting hills ! What a sublime expression 
that is. How calm, strong and satisfied the mount- 
ains seem! How they appear to smile, half disdain- 
fully and half compassionately at the little nervous 
enterprises of the ever changing towns and hamlets at 
their base. 

It is not a foolish speculation which leads many to in- 
quire if God is not nearer to us on the mountains than 
in the valleys. He is not nearer to us, but we are apt 
to be consciously nearer to Him. Tbe vastness of the 
solitudes brings us into closer relations with our inner 
selves, and through the highest in us can we alone ap- 
proach the highest in the universe. Mountain solitudes 
are often so terribly oppressive to the external mind 
that the brain reels, reason totters, and insanity ensues. 
We have heard of many men, some of them mere 
youths, who have become maniacs through tending 



100 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

sheep alone on mountain heights. Such experiences 
were frequently alluded to in ancient works on occul- 
tism, where initiatory rites were spoken of as entailing 
the utmost danger and distress on the weak and fal- 
tering, while the strong, persistent, and con 
neophytes grew stronger and more gifted with every 
trial they encountered, till, at length, they r< rior 

to every dread, and came oil" triumphant victors over 
sense and its seductions. 

It may be in place here to allude briefly to an arti- 
cle published some time ago in the Two W<rrlds,a.xx 
English spiritualistic newspaper, edited l>y Mrs. E. EL 
Britten. The article is entitled "Poetical Occultism," 
and the writer is styled "One Who Kn<> This ar- 

ticle was copied by Dr. J. K. Buchanan in the January 
1888 number of his Journal of Man, accompanied by 
editorial comments which are on the whole extremely 
reasonable, as they are to the effeel thai no kind of oc- 
cult discipline which disqualifies one for the perform- 
ance of the regular appointed duties of life, can t> 
much a blessing as a drawback to the p s of 

humanity. 

This is just the point we want to emphasize, and it 
needs especial emphasis at this particular time when 
occult studies are being pursued, or, at least, looked 
into by the most intelligent persons everywhere, while, 
as maybe expected, there are many bats in human 
form ready, if possible, to eclipse the sunshine because 
they are too blind to appreciate its radiance. 

Esoterically considered, the New Testament ag 
exactly with the Hindoo Vedas, and every other pure 
and ancient Scripture designed to preserve a concise 



SPIRITUAL TIIKKArKUTICS. 101 

record of spiiitual discovery upon the earth in the ex 
act language of precise and unchanging correspond- 
ence. The recent publication of the "Bhagavad Gita 
or the Lord's Lay," in a new form, by Mohini M. Chat- 
terjij with copious annotations and references to the 
Christian Scriptures, has furnished a fresh proof of the 
striking similarity of one inspired form of teaching to 
another. 

All inspired writers point to one only means of 
reaching a knowledge of truth, so far as to make it 
practical in every relation of existence, and that is by 
going up, or, in other words, going in to the mountain 
of the higher, which is the inner nature, there to dis- 
cover th8 pearl of great price which lies buried in the 
depths of man's spiritual being, so as to be able when 
that pearl is found to carry it out into all the family 
and business transactions of life, till, at length, there 
is a new earth or external state of justice and purity, 
as well as a new heaven or higher and deeper internal 
realization of things divine. 

To pay especial attention to the details of the story 

are now specially considering, let us note the three 
(li^'-iplcs accompanying Jesus up the mountain. We 
iind these three going with him wherever lie went. 
John was the most beloved and intimate of all. but 
Peter, James and John were his constant followers 
and immediate attendants. They E to us the 

three representative orders of human faculties we all 
recognize: the moral, the intellectual and the physical, 
while Jesus represents the immortal soul. All our 
faculties must go up to the summit of the mountain. 

in other words, our entire nature, classified 



102 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC*. 

it may be in three grand divisions, must be employed 
in the discovery, diffusion and application of spiritual 
knowledge to the diversified needs ir common 

humanity. 

Every one needs a time for mountain climbing, and 
a place which may be to him a holy mountain so far as 
outward isolation from the busy world can make il 
When it is asked why the Orientals are said to attain 
spiritual altitudes more readily than members of the 
bustling communities of the Western world, the answer 
is invariably the same. Eindoos reply: "We live 
nearer to the soul of the universe than y< a do; ire care 
less about money, rank and fashion; we spend less 
time and thought upon external things than you, and, 
as a consequence, we have our reward; we seek spirit- 
ual bread, and we gel it ; you seek the stone of wordly 
honors and distinctions and you gel them; according 
to your desires, so are the answers to your prayers, for 
all desire and effort is prayer, and as you pray, so you 
are answered, no matter to whom you pray or what 
you pray for." 

The great question for modern moralists, yes, and 
for physiologists also to consider is the relation of 
external striving to health and purity. It may sound 
to some a worn-out platitude that you are destroying 
your national health and undermining the very founda- 
tions of future greatness, but this truth needs to be 
sounded as with the voice of a trumpet sounding an 
alarm, in tlie ears of all heads of families and public 
instructors throughout the land. Morality cannot be 
taught successfully to youth so long as parents and 
teachers set the example of mammon worship. The 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 1 0,°> 

influences surrounding a forming mind, subtle, unseen, 
usually unrecognized influences are what tend to 
develop character far more effectively than any amount 
of routine instruction. There is everything in a pure, 
healthy, invigorating, mental atmosphere. The moral 
aii 1 a child breathes in unconsciously is what molds his 
temper of thought and character, not the scholastic 
drill which is often a painful and unwelcome strain on 
the intellectual faculties. 

If, as Dr. Buchanan prophesies, psychometiy is to 
be the dawn of a new civilization, psychometry, which 
means, literally, soul measurement, another term for 
psychical perception, must be utilized in tracing the 
effects of unseen influences on the triune constitution 
of man. The question is constantly raised as to the 
education of sensitives. Crammed scholastically they 
had better never be, for the less they are burdened 
with pedantic technicalities, the freer and sweeter will 
be their inspirations. But can any one doubt that some- 
thing very practical can be accomplished in the way of 
helping to unfold psychic powers and perceptions nat- 
urally ? 

In the Two Worlds, " Schools for the Prophets" are 
discussed. Mrs. Britten and many of her most intelli- 
gent correspondents are strongly in favor of doing 
something practical in the way of assisting sensitive 
persons to unfold and use their powers under the besl 
possible conditions. Speaking for ourselves, we are 
not much in favor of endowed and incorporated institu- 
tions for such a purpose, as trustees and directors are 
too frequently dogmatic and intolerant. They may 
have excellent financial and executive abilitv in the 



104 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

business world, but spiritual gifts are not in the market 
to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. You cannot 
purchase the gift of the spirit for money. Thus if col- 
leges for sensitives be established there is a dang< r that, 
falling into the hands of dogmatists, they will devel- 
op into nothing better than mesmeric establishments, 
in which all the subjects would he connected by means 
of invisible wires of thought with some centralis 
and controlling power, not so much spiritual as mate- 
rial. 

The gospel story of the transfiguration need not be 
considered as a literal historical fact, if one does no 
desire to consider it, as its spiritual import is universal. 
The evangelists tell us of certain methods being 
adopted and certain ends obtained. We may say then, 
in a certain sense, a challenge is thrown out to the 
world; let whoever will pick up Jesus, 

the central figure, is exoterically whoever (ills the 
position of a great and advanced tea erically, 

'he is the spiritual nature in all mankind. The Great 
Teacher gathers together those of his foil who 

are prepared to receive a higher lesson in divine truth 
on the top of a mountain, and there is transfigured 
before them. Far away from the strife and bustle 
of the noisy, mercenary, contentions world they are 
brought face to face with the sublimest aspects of 
truth the world has ever witnessed; ^Uoses and Elias 
appear to them. If this is literal history, then they 
receive on that high altitude, in the clear, bracing air, 
a proof of human immortality they could never receive 
on the low tablelands or in the valleys. If the spirit 
of the story be alone regarded, then, what is M. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 105 

but an embodiment of law, or what is Elijah but 
prophecy personified i 

Let us look at Moses in the light of law for a few 

moments, and then at Elijah in the light of prophecy. 
Flippant, would-be critics may dismiss biblical narra- 
tives with a contemptuous sneer, because the hidden 
treasure has to be dug out of the mine, and they have 
neither inebriation nor ability to dig it out; but to the 
student of life's mysteries, to the reverent inquirer into 
the secrets of the universe, every page in all the Scrip- 
tures of the earth glows with the light of a hidden 
flame, whose guiding light ever beckons the world on to 
higher and ever higher attainments. The true theory 
of evolution is more plainly exemplified in Bible history 
than in all the treatises of Darwin and his followers, 
even the latest scientific speculations concerning natural 
selection, and the survival of the fittest are all magni- 
ficently illustrated in scripture stories when esoteric; llv 
interpreted. 

There can be but little question to-day among those 
whose researches are something more than despicably 
superficial, of the existence in remote ages in Egypt of 
a splendid spiritual dynasty, of which the most power- 
ful and glorious kingly dynasty was but the outward 
shadow. Chronologists inform us that Egypl was 
ruled by gods for 13,900 years prior to the reign 
of demigods, who, in their turn, were succeeded by 
Pharoahs, who were ordinary men, native prim 

Let us strip ancient history of all its fantastic 
apparel, and let ancient phraseology melt into modern 
forms of speech, bet us employ the gospel interpreta- 
tion as a working hypothesis in deciphering the hi- 



106 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

glypliics of the past, contained in the words, "They 
were called gods, on whom the spirit of God (the Eter- 
nal) came," and we can readily perceive how the Jews 
(the word Jew really means any enlightened person, not 
necessarily a relative by blood of any special human 
ancestor) in the days of Moses, probably a contemporary 
of Sesostris the Great, borrowed and never returned, 
L *., carried out of Egypt, the most valuable treasures 
of wisdom which they locked up at length in the jewel 
cases of their correspondentially written scriptures. 
The Mosaic law was a perpetuation of a system of 
legislation, dating back no doubt to the sunken 
Atlantis, from which actual i not fabulous) country 
Egypt received her first impressions of science and 
religion. The Atlantian heroes and wise men who 
colonized Egypt were the gods who ruled the country 
for nearly L4,000 years in the long ago. 

The most ancient law buried m the letter of exter- 
nal Mosaism, is the one divine law of truth. It is the 
universal, spiritual, natural law, to transgress which is 
sin. This law never changes ; it is absolutely immuta- 
ble, like its author and sustain er, God. When law is 
transfigured, and not till then, do we see how perfectly 
at one are all the religious systems and bibles of the 
world. The unity of law is to be found only in its 
spirit; its letter killeth, and that which kills also dies, 
while its spirit giveth life, and therefore lives forever. 
The great paradox of the New Testament is the pres- 
entation of diametrical opposites in the life and teach- 
ing of the ideal man. Jesus is constantly represented 
in the two-fold capacity of law destroyer and law ful- 
filler. In the sermon on the mount, he disallows the 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS lOT 

letter of Hebrew legislation in its cxqvv particular, and 
attributes the enforcement of antiquated customs to a 

spirit of servile submission to the traditions of the past. 

How can the law be destroyed in letter but fulfilled 
in spirit? How can we in this day, in this land, com- 
pletely set aside the letter of the ancient law, and at 
the same time enforce its spirit in every particular? 
Take the Sabbath law as an example. The old Jewish 
institutes concerning Sabbath observance are literally 
so repellant to the spirit of human liberty and even 
justice that we shrink with horror from the thought 
that a human being was ever put to death for working 
on the seventh day. We can have no sympathy with 
the old blue law of New England, which ordained 
heavy fines and imprisonment for the slightest depart- 
ure from the rigorous enactments of the Puritans. 
Still, we all know by practical experience, that one day 
of rest and recreation out of every seven is intensely 
beneficial to all who observe such a periodical season 
of refreshment and repose. 

The institution of the Sabbath dates back to an age 
and country where slave-holding was as common as 
hired labor is to-day. The Sabbath law was, in its 
intention, a humane and merciful provision against 
the overworking of human beings and animals alike. 
Read the Fourth Commandment of the Decalogue care- 
fully through, and you must, every one of you, be thor- 
oughly convinced that men and women, oxen and 
ls creatures who worked with scarcely an inter- 
-ion, except for nightly sleep, during six consecul ive 

s of every week', were greatly blessed by having 
secured to them the rest of the Sabbath. In the olden 



108 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC 

days, when men were not to be moved, it appears, by 
any merely human mandate, the authority of a really 
or assumedly divine revelation was absolutely necessary 

to compel tyrannical masters to allow their >1. 
some seasons of repose, and, as Solomon truly and 
wisely says, U A righteous man regardeth the life of 
his beast" — the Sabbath law was as stringent con- 
cerning animals, as it was concerning men, while an 
extension of the same law insisted that the land should 
rest every seventh year, and by thus resting the land, 

oriental agriculturists prevented the soil From wear 
out, and the land from becoming sterile through o\ 
cultivation. So wise and so beneficent is the Sabbath 

law in its essential spirit, that we can, none <>f us, 
afford to disregard it here today, and we are happy t<> 
say that avowedly materialistic papers, such as the 
Boston Investigator^ are as much in favor of intelligent 
Sabbath observance as any Christian sheet can he. 

The question which naturally arises is, What do you 
mean by Sabbath observance! We answer. We do not 
mean any sort of ecclesiastical observance,but a healthy 
cessation of businc - and vexations, for the whole 

of one day out of seven. Let people go to church if they 
like, into the parks, onto the water, or wheresoever they 
please, and if it is found necessary to employ some peo- 
ple on the day when others an equitable 
arrangement might be made whereby some people 
should observe the Jewish and others the Christian 
Sabbath. Still, as far as possible, all should - 
the same day, for the purpose of rendering possibles 
calm and quiet general mental influence due to the ab- 
solute cessation of at least nine-tenths of the work done 



SPIRITUAL THEBAPECTK 109 

on the six working days. Jesus, in all his teaching and 
example treated this question in the most practical 
manner conceivable. lie healed the sick on the Sabbath 
day, therein' dedicating it to the best good of the race 
physically, as well as morally and mentally; and when 
accused of being a Sabbath-breaker, he answered, "The 
Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sab- 
bath." 

In that statement he caused Moses to appear trans- 
figured before the mental vision of those who claimed 
to he devoted disciples of the great Hebrew legislator ; 
and when we pass on to a consideration of teachings 
yet mere vital and important, we shall find the same 
transfigured Moses held up by Jesus to the people 
in place of the old Mosaic commands, whose literal bar- 
barity is so shockingly repulsive to the enlightened 
thought of the nineteenth century. 

When we spoke against the hanging of the Chi< 
anarchists, at the time of their trial and condemnation, 
we took for our text, "Whosoever sheddeth man's 
blood, by man shall his blood be shed;" but we 
coupled with it many words attributed to Jesus, taken 
from the sermon on the mount, in which lie most em- 
phatically dissents from the retaliatory interpretation 
of those grandly prophetic words, the full inner mean- 
which can only be comprehended by a true 
theosophist deeply versed in a knowledge of Karma^ 
or the law of consequence. Several Boston newspapers 
were sent to us by friends in Massachusetts, containing 

ermons by Christian minis' 
approving of the i on of the anarchists. Almost 

ry one of those sermons, delivered in Christian pub 



110 SPIRITUAL TnERAPEDTK 

pits, was in downright defiance of Jesus, and justified 
the comment of a friend who sent us the papers. " If 
Jesus were on earth to-day, those very ministers would 
cry out, 'Crucify him.' " We ask, in the nameof com- 
mon sense, how can preachers or bearers be so hypo- 
critical, or so blind to the meaning of words as not to 
see that their applications of old Hebrew texts to 
modern events are at deadly variance with the teach- 
ings they profess to regard as the words of incarnate 
Deity I The Christian Church will never pul down in- 
quity, so long as it worships Jesus with the lip, and 
insults him in every act of legislation. Joseph Cook's 
oft repeated babble, u May God, have mercy on their 
souls, but may the Government of the Tinted States 

not have mercy on their bodies," was one of the i 

inconsistent sentenees any man pr g to be 

follower of Jesus oould possibly utter or frame. As 
Moses Bull, editor of Th* New Thought^ said at Mt. 
Pleasant Park Camp Meeting in August, l ss 7. Why 
do not these professing Christians condemn men \\>v 
shaving the corners of their beards, for the same chap- 
ter in Leviticus which enforces the barbaric commands 
against which the senium on the mount so forcibly 
inveighs, is as strict in its denunciations against shaving 
the whole face, as it is against adultery. 

Swedenborgians interpret the old law spiritually, 
and thereby assist in the transfiguration of M<>^<>; but 
we regret to say that even among people professedly 
constituting the New Jerusalem Church, there are 
some who advocate capital punishment. -'An eye for 
an eye, a tooth for a tooth." is stili their motto, in 
spite of all that Jesus said so earnestly against it, and 



SPIRITUAL THKBAPEUTli 111 

the singular anachronism is, tliat the very people ivhe 

advocate these awful barbarities read as a portion of 
the divine word publicly in their churches the most 
emphatic condemnation of their own acts. We do not 
wish to re, but we cannot resist repeating the 

words of an intelligent Oriental, who had just been 
studying the New Testament, "Well, it is difficult for 
me to see how any Christian can advocate capital 
punishment without being- either an idiot or a hypo- 
crite." 

We have no difficulty in perceiving that the original 
intent of even such a monstrous act as decapitation 
may have been to deter others from crime, and tin 
fore may have seemed legitimate; but that the wis 
men of the East saw no deeper into human nature 
than to believe that doing evil that good may come, 
brings good to pass, is something we neither will nor 
can believe. 

The lesson to be derived from the appearance of 
Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration is primarily 
and essentially the adjustment of our laws in harmony 
with the Sermon on the Mount. When t lie vail is re- 
moved, and law appears in its own intrinsic beauty, 
undimmed by false disguise, there will no longerbe any 

'1 for prisons, jails and penitentiaries, but before 
these institutions, relics of barbarism that they are, are 

;lly abolished, prison reform must bo carried to such 
a pitch that going to prison will be looked upon in the 
same light as going to school or to a hospital. 

Moral asylums are needed ju ylums for the 

blind, the deaf and dumb. And as visitors go frequently 
to these latter institutions to watch the progress made 



112 SPIRITUAL THKEAPEUTK 

by those who, often from some unknown cause, have 
been deprived of some natural gift, toward the obtain- 
ing or recovery of it, 30 should prison inspectors take 
an active interest and sincere delight in the moral re- 
covery of those 'who, often through infamous early 
training, or lack' of training, have so c< mported them- 
selves as to render their temporary captivity within 
four walls necessary for their own reform and others 
safety. We are not I do not i 

done offences ; but what we do maintain is that love 
being the fulfilling of the divine law, only through 
loving administration is the world to be redeemed from 
the innumerable errors which now curse it. 

What a lesson the d j of J< ma must have 

learned on the top of thai mysterious mount wl 
Moses thus marvelously . I rehabilitated in 

garments of loving kindness! What a difficull les 
it was for Peter to dig* ven atl 

ing moment of his beloved V surrender of him- 

self into the hands of his accusers, thought to adva 
that Master's interest by lifting up his sword and cut- 
ting oflf the ear of the high pri< ml Malchusl 
How small must be the mind of any caviler who pi< 
at the outer garb of the gospel story, and utterly fails 
to see how applicable are all the events therein recorded 
to the present day and this very land of ours. Was it, 
after all, enthusiasm for the Master, or was it a 
of spiteful revenge which lifted Peter's handl He 
could not have been, at that time, veiy brave or noble, 
when he so soon after denied his Master! Hot-beaded 
impetuosity is never associated with genuine fealty and 
lasting friendship. The man who would light boldly 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 1 13 

for Jesus was the man who was the most ready, through 
cowardice, to deny him. Physical culture dissociated 
from spiritual culture develops the pugilist, who is 
never brave. The gymnasium, and certainly the fight- 
ing ring, will develop in one and the same person a her- 
culean bodyand a pigmy soul ; physical giants are often 
mental dwarfs. To strike a blow or lire a pistol is not 
courageous. Courage gives the soft answer and there- 
with tin ns away wrath. 

Oh ! how often do we witness the saddening specta- 
cle of men and women seeking to enforce discipline by 
boxing children's ears, and other cowardly and wicked 
practices. Children grow up sneaks and criminals, be- 
come yet viler through the machinery of a law of 
hate and fear, when a loving, just, and merciful regime 
would educate little ones, and reform criminals. 

But we must revert, ere we conclude, to the ap- 
pearance of Elijah, or Elias, who was the embodiment 
of prophecy, as Moses was of law. Prophecy is said 
by Paul to be the greatest of all spiritual gifts. Now, 
what is prophecy? A prophet is a seer, one who looks 
ahead, who scans the heavens, and foretells coming 
events; but he is, most of all, an exhorter — one pos- 
ting the power to speak directly to the hearts and 
consciences, as well as to the intellects of his bean i>. 
ween priest and prophet there is always the same 
difference that there is between inventor and copj 
between creative and imitative genius. Priests and 
those under them do not usually believe in proph 
and they often stone the prophets. A prophet can not be 
confined within the narrow limits of any man madecn 
. u not submit to having his wings clipped and living 



114 SPIRITUAL THERAPKITI 

like an eagle in a cage. lie must be free as the air, and 
he would rather starve than compromise. < >f such pure 
metal was Elijah made, and of such, verily in every 
and country, may it be said, "Theirs is the kingdom of 
heaven/' No earthly crown decorates their brow, no 
earthly honors and emoluments are theirs, nor do they 
seek them; their motto is ever, "For God and for 
humanity," and their whole life is an exemplification 
of the truth to which, through good repute and ill, 
through fire and sword if need be, they steadfastly ad- 
here. The significance of the apj>earance of Elijah on 
the Mount of Transfiguration is far removed above thai 
controversial speculation which disputes over the literal 
identy of John the Baptist with Elias of old. Whether 
John the Baptist was the personal Elias re embodied is 
not a question of any vital moment. 

Elijah is the synonym of prophecy, the representa- 
tive of prophets everywhere, and for all time. When 
prophesy is transfigured, or, in other words, understood 
not in the killing letter, but in the life-giving spirit, it 
no longer appears as unconditional as it did before. 
Israel of old was so favorably situated that all things 
seemed conspiring together to make of the house of Israel 
and of the city of Jerusalem the greatest nation and 
the metropolis of the whole earth. Had [srael always 
remained true to her sacred trust, had she invariably 
adhered to the commandments of the decalogue, the 
day could never have arrived when the name of Caesar 
had to be acknowledged in Palestine. 

It was the scheming, calculating spirit which ani- 
mated the demagogues in the days of Jesus to curry 
favor at the court of Rome by condemning the innocent 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 115 

to death, that through many centuries as a deadly but 
most insidious poison, had been lurking in the veins of 
the Israeli tish people. This alone it was which wrought 
their downfall and made it possible for the Christ to 
weep on Olivet. No more touching scene has ever been 
portrayed than that of the weeping Savior of a doomed 
humanity — not doomed by any cruelty of God, but 
self-destroyed, preferring war to peace, hate to love, 
falsehood to truth, vice to virtue. Is there a medical 
man who can not at once apply the scene to many 
among his own patients? Faithfully and patiently he 
lias pointed out to them their errors, reasoning and 
remonstrating with them till time and language were 
alike exhausted, and then, when they had proved utterly 
incorrigible, in sadness he has turned away and lam- 
ented the idiotic folly of men and women rushing head- 
long to physical perdition, when the means had been 
placed within their grasp of working out their own salva- 
tion ere it became too late. 

Prophecy is not prediction solely or chiefly, it is first 

of all and more than all, exhortation. The true prophet 

is a genuine exhorter, one who sets the truth before the 

world with convincing power and fervor; one who, 

with more than usual hindsight, insight, and foresight, 

knows the inevitable law of consequence more fully 

than his fellows, and consecrates that knowledge zejiT- 

ously, untiringly to blessing the world. No prophet 

can tell you what will of necessity befall you ; but he 

can tell you what must inevitably acme if a certain 

arse of action is persisted in. 

Nothing is more natural than prophecy. From a 

ritual standpoint prophecy is an exact science, and 



116 SPIRITUAL THERAPRUTR 

the understanding of it as such is the master key to all 

those occult mysteries which continually beset 08. 
When the followers of Jesus knew what proph< 
really meant, all their national hopes were dashed to 
pieces. Xo longer could they regard the Infinite 
Jehovah as the tribal deity of the Jewish elan, aim 
exclusively interested in the welfare 
the human race. A broader conception ( 
of their minds, and henceforward <T<>d to them appeared 
as n< ter of pera 

ts only. This sublime view of I teitj 
Hebrew prophets had entertained and expressed it 
before, but there is little I for sup; but the 

Jews ;i> a people had ever risen I 
of the idea of a universal and utterly impartial D< 

To apply this subject to vital i the 1 

present, we have only to change the tin 
gospel epi> i render them intensely applicable 

present conditions in Europe and America. W< 
to press the matter still nearer home, and individua 
the lesson of the story, by contemplati 
thing is bald prediction when applied to our own circum- 
stances, while genuine prophecy, thai 
which Paul extolled above so manyothei 
dower which can fall to the lot of any human being. 

It requires a lecture on heredity tain in any- 

thing like detail the working of the prophetic element 
in daily life. Supposing you are told your lungs are 
weak, and you believe it, and instead tting to 

work to strengthen your system by healthy discipline 
you give in to the saddening thought — a thought n 
woefully depressing wherever entertained — that it 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTH B, 117 

part of your ill luck or adverse fortune to succumb. to 
a terrible disorder. You fulfill a vile, and perhaps 
utterly baseless prediction by affiliating in thought 
with the very forces which tend to tear you down, 
while you might just as readily have affiliated with an 
opposite class of influences, association with which 
would have built you up. Now take an instanoeon 
the other side being told that you inherit an excep- 
tionally robust constitution, and that inconsequence 
thus naturally vigorous you are bound to Iv 
long life and enjoy excellent health to the end of your 
days, you fritter away your energy in disgraceful dis- 

, tion; you will most certainly fail, like the hare in 
the old fable, while your less fortunately started neigh- 
bor may be the winning tortoise in the race. 

These illustrations are intensely commonplace, but 
our ambition is to be practical, not to indulge in flights 
of eloquence or flowers of rhetoric. Let the his! 
the Jewish people two thousand years ago and the his- 
tory of all peoples who have once been great, but who 
have yielded to the corroding moth of presumptu 

-satisfaction, lead us all to yield to that glorious 
Elias ministry of the soul, which, in the stentorian 
tones of a ruffged and utterlv inelegant dweller in the 
deserts, often proclaims to us the only means jape 

from all the evils which menace us, when he lifts up 
his voice in the wilderness, and loudly cries: " Repent, 
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." A kingdom of 
heaven is now at our doors. We are entering upon a 
new social, religious, and political order. Tin 
industrial problems of the hour, the tremendous sti 
gle between capital and labor, between monopoly and 



118 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

justice, can not much longer be dallied with ; the final 
issue can not much longer be delayed by unsatisfactory 
temporizing in the way of palliative concessions, -when 
radical reform is loudly called for over all the earth. 
Not those who fare delicately, and are clad in costly 
raiment are the prophets, but those who dare to lift up 
their voice in humanity's cause, espousing right and 
liberty even though their cry shall cause thrones to 
totter, and shall shake t lie hoary foundations of a False 
political system until it falls about 
whose material interest it is to uphold it. 

Let no cringing servility to wealth or fashion 
our lips, or cause us to lay down our pens. Lei one 
and all buckle on the armor and fight with the spirit- 
ual and intellectual weapons of persuasive argument 
and forcible denunciation of wrong, the demon tyranny 
which still holds multitudes in thrall. America, the 
richest, fairest, freest land beneath the sun, even you, 
with all your great advantages can not afford to trust 
idly in your luck, for if you do not speedily hold eon- 
verse with Elijah on the mountain, or. to change the 
metaphor, lift high the banner of pure molality upon 
the folds of which is inscribed the sacred watchword 
" Justice," all your advantages will be as naught, for 
unerring prophecy ever declares that nation and that 
state which is distinguished above others for equitable 
government, righteous laws and a united people, shall 
assuredly wear the crown and wave tin 4 palm whenever 
the day arrives on which we shall see infinite justice in 
righteousness award the prize of supremacy to those 
who, above all others, love justice and mercy, and 
thereby serve the Eternal in truth, and keep 1 1 is com- 
mandments. 



LESSON VIZ 

TRUE INDIVIDUALITY, — IX WHAT SENSE AM) TO WHAT EX- 
TENT IS MAN A FREE MORAL AGENT, AND WHAT IS THE 

ULTIMATE OF INDIVIDUAL SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENT. 

THE problem of divine sovereignty and human free 
agency is one of the most difficult ever presented 
to the human mind for solution, and we certainly do not 
expect to solve the problem fully so as to remove all 
dilliculties out of the way of the honest inquirer, never- 
theless we hope to throw at least a little practically help- 
ful light upon it. 

In this age when it is customary in many quarters, 
presumably learned and scientific, to deny the super- 
natural altogether, it is necessary to define clearly what 
truth underlies the doctrines of supernaturalism. 

The word nature signifies a something born, there- 
fore if nature is something born, the laws of nature are 
laws governing something born, or laws inherent in 
this something born, we know that* nothing is born 
without parents and that nothing can come into exist- 
ence without an adequate cause. The so-called super- 
natural is strictly speaking only super-phenomenal, 
supermaterial, super-sensuous, or super-terrestrial, 

Supernaturalism arises with the conviction that there 
is in divine power an unlimited faculty of causation, 
(t<mI being an infinite and omnipresent cause, know- 
ing no beirinnintr or ending of his work but dwelling 
and working in an eternal present. 

119 



120 BPIBITUAL THERAPED1 l< 

Whenever enlightened Hebrews called the Divine 
Bein<^ Yahveh or Jehovah, they signified by this term 
the Being who always was and who therefore ever will 
be. The Eternal One who was never made and could 
never be destroyed. 

When a child inquires, "If God made every th 
who made God?" Lis question is b imply puerile and 
insignificant, because if you could tell who made God, 
thequestion would then occur, who made the being 
who made Godl And then if you reached in your 

reply to the being who made (rod, you would have to 

answer still another question, viz.: who made the being 
who made the being who made God? Jfou would 
of necessity obliged a1 length to take the position thai 
there is, because there must be, a self existent some- 
thing or some one. The cut. re difference between 
theism and atheism, and between gnosticism and 
nosticism is a difference with regard to the attribi 
of the self-existent bei 

The atheisl is obliged to admit that something 
always was and ever will he : that Bomethii 
never created and can never be destroyed, lie b 
you can not destroy an atom, that annihilation is incon- 
ceivable as applied to substance and if nothing 
can be put out of existence, then nothing w. 
brought into existence. Theism goes further and af- 
linns that the eternal something which never came in- 
to existence and can never go out of existence is not 
unconscious and therefore unwise, for it would be an 
axiomatic absurdity to declare that the something 
always in existence is less than the something not al- 
ways in existence ; it consequently follows that if eon- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTI08. 1 L> 1 

Bciousness, love, wisdom, spiritual life, in a word nil the 
virtues, were not always in existence, you are brought 

i to face with the miracle of creation, of something 
made out of nothing. Therefore, those who deny 
God and substitute an unconscious nature teach the 
absurdity of something being created out of nothing, 
for if goodness, wisdom, will, intelligence, mind, spirit, 
soul, if everything relating to our higher being was 
not always in existence, how did it ever come into exis- 
ts >nce i But if that which was never made, never even 
made itself, but ever was and ever will be, if the Eter- 
nal Being includes all attributes pertaining to nobility 
of mind and soul, if all the attributes and elements we 
desire to be permanent, were in the eternal heart from 
eternity and will remain in the same eternal heart to 

nity. this view induces us to regard our individual 
finite personal lives here as nothing other than expres- 
sions in limited form of attributes, elements and prin- 
ciples which are infinite and eternal in the fullness of 
their being. 

People talk of divine existence as totally apart from 
human existence very often. It is not absolutely cor- 
rect to speak of God's existence, but it is entirely cor- 
rect to speak of man's existence; existence means ex- 
pression. Existence isa revelation of something. God 

eternal being, and existence which is external, isa 
manifestation of being. Therefore we say that we 

ft but that God is. In making such a statement we 

ically, in technical language, convey our idea con 
cerning eternal being and temporary existen 

When we know what we are, we have discovered 
the absolute and infinite truth of being itself; when we 



122 SPIRITUAL THKRAPl I Tl 

have reached to that stage in tin* ladder of our journey 
we shall look no longer at thil hut 

shall behold them as they wtk : then we shall know 
what Longfellow meant and all thai any port could 
imply in that wonderful statement in the Psalm of 
Life, "Things are not what they seem." 

As long as we dwell in the region of the 
we live in a lower region than the region of & 
When we deal with things as they appeal' we do 
not usually deal with them as they are. All the 
delusions and counterfeits with which we 

Customed to deal, will pass away, and he d( 

forever; hut that which is permanent, whatever is 
real substance, cannot ever be destroyed. Ltestruo* 
tion of error is accomplished in t! • in which 

folly is destroyed by the advance of wisdom, for wis- 
dom is greater than folly, folly being hut the ab- 
sence of wisdom. Ignorance is d d through 

education, for education brings knowledge ; knowledge 
is greater than ignorance, lor ignorance is hut the ab- 
sence of knowledge. All our frailties, imperfections, 
faults, and misbeliefs, all our imperfect dreams and 
personal vagaries, will at length he cast into a bot- 
tomless pit, and be burned with unquenchable lire, 
Avhile all that is real, our true being, all that is pre- 
servable because worth preserving, will forever, in 
our individual consciousness, enable us in the limited 
circle of individual capacity to say, I am as the Eternal, 
embracing eternal life. Every child of God, every son 
and daughter of the Most High reaching the bed 
rock, touching the eternal foundation upon which is 
reared the temple of finite existence, can say loiv 



SPIRITUAL THEBAPEUT* 123 

"Jam." The realization of this divine individuality, 
this glorious identity of soul that forever will be 
man's blessed portion, is the only infallible evidence 
of one's entrance into the true Kingdom of Heaven, 
or Nirvana, to which many Orientals especially look 
forward with such earnest and eager quest. 

Many people, in consequence of a total ignorance 
of genuine Theosophy, suppose that hundreds of mill- 
ions of people desire annihilation, which implies that 
they desire that their individual souls should no longer 
retain identity; what they really desire is complete 
destruction of personal or external selfhood, or the 
lower nature, whose passions constantly war against 
the higher. 

AYe tell you most emphatically that you have to 
lose your outer self in order to find your inner self. 
You must part with all that personality which makes 
you disagreeable to one another and engenders animos- 
ity and rivalry, in order to find that divine individual- 
ity which teaches you to enjoy each the other's wel- 
fare and to live in perfect peace and harmony through- 
out eternity as a thoroughly united family. When you 
attain the glorious height of spiritual perfection, when 
you have trod the perfect way, reached the perfect 
goal and won the perfect prize, you will have lost every- 
thing that could possibly make you disagreeable to 
anvone, and evervone around vou will have lost what- 

r could possibly make them disagreeable to you, 
but you will retain everything that makes you agree- 
able and valuable to each other and you will have found 
in this ocean of love, infinite powers of enjoyment 
which you never dreamed of when you were on earth 



124 SPIRITUAL THEBAFEtn U 

concerning yourself with external business with a view 
to outdoing your neighbor. 

We endeavor to point our students to the bigher 
truths of spirit, to the higher view of immortal life, 
we have to tell them there are things to forget as well 
as to remember ; there is a memorv to he killed as well 
as a memory to be cultivated ; there is a carnal selfish 
self that must die and never rise again, as well as an 
eternal identity thai never can di >sure you that 

the only things thai can be destroyed are things that 
cause you discord and trouble by alienating you in in- 
terest one from another. All desire to kill must he 
annihilated; the desire of one nation to make war 

upon another must be annihilated; the disposition 
of one person to hale or slander another must 

be annihilated, with everything thai makes you 
rivalrous and selfishly ambitions; for when you 
enter fully into the glorious region of the truly real, 
and the principle of absolute being is known and 
understood, you will all unite, all coalesi a to all 

form one glorious heavenly company, one divine eh< 
and as in a grand organ there arc many stops ami many 
parts which harmoniously blend er and as there 

swells forth as a result of this blending, a volume of 
sound wherein one cannot distinguish with Em untrained 
ear the separate sound of each sweet note; or as in some 
great and glorious choir pouring forth melodious har- 
mony you hear the music of fi thousand voices, but can- 
not discriminate with the untutored ear. one voice from 
another; the reason why you fail to detect individuality 
is because you are not trained sufficiently in the sense 
of hearing to discriminate; but brinsr a thoroughlv 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 1 25 

trained musician into the presence of ever so mighty a 

torrent of sound and lie will tell you he hears each sep- 
arate voice in the chorus no matter how many are sing- 
ing at once, and if any voice is singing out of tunc, he can 
tell which voice it is. When we have found our true 
identity we shall know each other as we shall know our- 
selves, we shall all be individual members of the celes- 
tial orchestra, each an individual member of a per- 
tly harmonious choir; those angels who are now 
able to distinguish us truly the one from the other in the 
sense of recognizing each of us to the extent of know- 
ing how we are all performing our respective pails, 
individualize us perfectly in their thoughts and we shall 
all somewhere find that individuality is ours (in a far 
more glorious and perfect sense than now) when it is 
apparently to outward sense lost in the mass of per- 
fected humanity than it ever was when we took an 
arrogant position of aggressive selfhood and endeav- 
ored to annihilate the individuality of every other 
member of the race by setting our interests in conflict 
with those of our brethern. 

In the eternal harmonies of the universe every soul 
must play its own part and sing its own song; in the 
glorious temple of eternity every individual will be 
found in his proper place, and as nature has stamped 
individuality upon every atom, upon every globule, 
individuality is the very basis of life, true individuality 
is consistent and compatible with perfect accord and 
perfect coalescence. In the divine life let as think of 
ours s all forming one great family of the M 

High, in perfect harmony the one with the other, each 
individual enjoying the blessedness of recognition by 



12G SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

friends and kindred, not in the earthly, but in the high- 
est spiritual sense forever. 

When we have found our souls, and not until then, 
have we found the purpose of our existence or the 
guiding principle of our life. When we have found 
our inmost identity, we have found that which can 
never desert us; but until then we arc wandering on, 
of ten in complete darkness and never in a very bright 
liffht. We are all thoroughly differentiated on earth; 
not only arc we endowed with special individuality 
and appointed special works, but weal! differ the one 
from the other in our stage of development, and there- 
fore, in our perception of the principle of being. The 
reason why there are so many differences of opinion in 
the world is simply because bo many different people 
are obliged to look' at matters from their own peculiar 
standpoints; no one ccm look at a matter from another 
standpoint than his own. All persons have not an 
equally wide horizon, all cannot see equally far, no 
matter how much they may try to; all cannot hear an 
equal number of sounds, no matter how intently they 
may listen to music; all cannot smell an equal number 
of perfumes or taste an equal number of flavors, no 
matter how much they may st rive to. As we cannot all 
see, hear, taste, smell or touch equally much, some of 08 
being far more limited in capacity than others, owing 
to some being further along the line of spiritual develop- 
ment than others, so all again cannot look at 
matters from the same side, some standing as it v. 
with face to the north, others to the south, and others 
to the east and west ; those who gaze northward 
something that exists; so do those who look in the 



SPIRITUAL THEKAPEDTK 127 

other directions, but they do not see the same things; 
but though they do not see the same things, they 

different portions of the one truth; often because 
of not seeing the whole truth, they act like children 
having some blocks of a puzzle, but not all, while 
it is necessary to have every block to complete the 
puzzle or picture; therefore if you have not all in your 

>sessi on, the puzzle remains a puzzle and the riddle 
continues a riddle. Leave out a single necessary ingre- 
dient in some compound, and you cannot form the com- 
pound until you have procured the lacking ingredient. 

Different people start out in different directions 
and arrive necessarily at different conclusions; they 
ignorantly imagine all others must be wrong if they 
are right, while others may be partially right and they 
partially wrong, but all will at some time learn they 
have each seen a portion of truth, and foolishly imag- 
ined the portion they saw to be the whole; this error 
was the whole of their mistake. 

One person says, "I believe in fate"; he recog- 
nizes a portion of truth. Another says, fc> I believe in 
free will"; he recognizes another portion of truth. 
One says, "I believe in foreordination, in predestina- 
tion, in God's sovereignty "; he recognizes a portion 
of truth. Another says, " I believe that every man 
enjoys freedom of will, and has to work out his own 
salvation; that he is the arbiter of his own fate, and 
that his destiny lies in his own hands"; such an one has 
also discovered a portion of the truth. Now, when we 
inquire how the seseemingly irreconcilable truths are 
all parts of one great truth, it is important for us to 
remember that while certain grand declarations of 



128 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

wisdom are irrefutable, we very often state a principle 
in words correctly, and then argue incorrectly because 
we have not understood the true application of the 
principle as an entirety to all its parts. 

You make a statement which is perfectly true; 
" there is an infinite will ; the infinite will cannot 
thwarted; there is an infinite plan which cannot be 
frustrated ;" hut because this is true you go on to say, 
erroneously, that certain other things which arc also 
true, cannot be : that man cannot have a free will be- 
cause there is an infinite will for example which is lajae 
reasoning From a true principle. The principle is 
sound; there is an infinite will, but you 1 
ered what is the will of the Being whose will is infi- 
nite; now if it is the will of the Infinite that man 
should enjoy free will, though man's free will must 
necessarily be only so far free as the eternal will or- 
dains it to be free, divine providence permits of the 
freedom of the human will, as a smaller circle enclosed 
within the infinite circle of divine sovereignty. 

To bring this eternal and infinite question to the 
level of our daily actions, and thus bring it within the 
comprehension of the you child, we will illustrate 

by the familiar representation of parent and child, 
which is always the highest, sweetest and truest illus- 
tration that can be given of the dealings of the Eter- 
nal One with his children. You as a parent are physi- 
cally and mentally a great deal stronger than your 
child; if you choose you can restrict your child's 
tions so that he can never take a step alone, you can 
so govern and command him, if you will, that he can 
never give utterance to a single opinion you do not ap- 



BPIBITUAL THEKAPEUTK L89 

prove; if you choose to hold your child so thoroughly 

under your control, he never can go out of doors unless 
you take him out, he need never be a moment out of 
your sight, and never deviate a single iota from your 
re. You would under such a regime he fully car- 
rying out your will as to your child, and in such a 

i it would be your will that your child should 
have no will of his own. 

But if on the other hand you voluntarily give your 
child a certain amount of freedom, you remonstrate 
with him, reason with him, and then say, "Now, you 
have heard what I say and know what I wish, but you 
can do as you like; I advise, recommend and request 
you to do a certain thing, but I permit you to do as 
you choose;" would you not be exercising your will 
di>cretionally with your child as fully as in the other 

similar case? In this case it would be your will that 
your child should exercise some will of his own. 

The question for theologians and philosophers to 
decide, is this : Has the Eternal Will ordained that 

should nave no will, or some will of our own i lias 
the Eternal Will decreed we should have a limited 
amount of freedom,, or no freedom at all i 

Our teaching is, that the EternalWill wills us finite 
freedom as a means of developing within us nobility and 
grandeur of disposition. We believe that the post 
sion of that gift is the primal cause of the soul's em- 
bodiment. Many Theosophists believe that the soul 
which has forever dwelt in the bosom of the Eternal 
Infinite, the soul being an uncreated spark of the di- 
vine fire, the child of the Infinite Spirit, awakes to the 
consciousness of its own individuality and begins to re- 



130 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

fleet upon it, when an impulse from the Eternal awak- 
ens within it the power of choice. 

There is much truth in the theological doctrine 
of the Fall of Man, and also in the Darwinian 
hypothesis of the ascent of man, for man falls in order 
to rise. The soul does not come in contact with matter, 
does not take up its abode in an earthly tabernacle, and 
enter a terrestrial school to do nothing and learn noth- 
ing; all our earthly discipline or experience is for the 
purpose of developing that individuality and voluntary 
nobility of character which alone makes noble men 
and women, and at Length devrl<>|» celestial angels. 

We may conceive of the soul prior to any earthly 
experience doing right from necessity ; but the same soul 
alter all its earthly pilgrimages are completed, it turns 
to the angelic home and does right from choice 
soul before it has known earthly experience at all ob 
the divine will automatically .'is a machine obeys the 
machinist, as an instrument responds to the master hand 

of a performer; hut when the soul goes back to that 

wonderful home inspirit whence it came to earth, it 
has acquired during its term of experience a power to 

love and choose the right, and is therefore no longer an 
automatic machine, but a machine that understands its 
own movement, and instead of obeying the hand that 

works it from necessity, consciously and voluntarily 
obeys from love. Is there not an immense differ* 
between unthinking and thoughtful obedience! Be- 
tween reflective and unreflective adoration I Between 
one who obeys consciously from love, and one who 
obeys from necessity, without realizing any other p< 
ble course of action than the one he is pursuing i 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 1P>1 

Again to cite the analogy of child and parent, yon 
see this truth illustrated ; a very little child obeys you 
without knowing why ; that little child is pure and inno- 
cent; you endow it in mind with every sweet and charm- 
ing, attribute of purity, but when } 7 ou know that the 
man v trials and tribulations of life lie before that younff 
and tender one, though you know that ere the child 
grows up to be a man or woman he or she will have to 
light a way through the world and may fall into many 
pits and pass through a veritable Slough of Despond en 
route to the Celestial City, yon feel that out of it 
your beloved one will rise with added experience upon 
the other side, and therefore even though you knew all 
that your children would have to encounter in the 
world, you would still send them out into the world; 
you would not lock them up so that they could never 
be contaminated with a breath of impurity; you would 
not say they willlose their virtue while fighting the bat- 
tle of life, but you still prefer to send them out to fight 
it; then when like valiant soldiers returning from battle, 
though there are scars upon their cheeks, those sens are 
glorious, for they are the evidences of successful en- 
counter with the adversary; that they have been 
wounded by the enemy makes the boys dearer to you 
than they ever were before. 

Do you not think that in times of war when a 
mother welcomes home herson who has been mutilated 
in battle, but who has been great and noble through 
all, she is more proud of him than when she rocked him 
in his cradle or danced him on her knee as a, litt le babe i 
It may be that theyoung man has not always maintained 
a perfectly moral record ; it may be that he has done 



132 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTH 

many things for which he was sorry afterward in bis 
soldier life, much that he would fain erase, many mis- 
takeshe would not repeat, but st ill there is more pi 
more rejoicing (and more cau3e for it), when the boy 
comes homo a bronzed and bearded man withal] the 
stain of travel and scars of battle upon him, than when 
he was ushered into 1 lie world ;i sweet little infant who 
did not know the difference between and wn 

We believe so firmly that all earthly discipline is for 
a good purpose, that all our Bufferings and 
part of our educal ion. i hat 1 1" 

shapes ours ends | not a chance or a !*. 

ever we are called upon to 

in sorrow or bereavement, we feel we can honestly with 
our whole soul tell them that all discipline i^> for their 
good and they will riseoul of it ennobled ened 

and purified. 

Whenever we moe1 a p<><>r suffering creature who 
has sinned and suffered, who has, like the prodigal son, 
in the parable, reached even the swine's trough and only 
been brought to a right mind when famishing with 
hunger, we feel that when the discipline is over, when 
the suffering consequent upon the sin has yielded pe, 
able fruits of righteousness, when after ha lien 

into manifold temptations he hai | 1 patiei 

and nobility, directly ho has renounced Ins love of evil 
and overcome his infirmity, borne the penalty and 
through it grown wiser, that we are fully justified in 
saying to him — for we have the evidences before us — 
"Thy sins are forgotten, wiped out, outgrown, ov< 
come, go in peace/' Such was the course alw;i 
pursued by the meek and lowly Jesus and all the world's 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. [33 

greatest benefactors everywhere. But remember thai 
whilst you are doing wrong in rebelling against the 
higher voice, your own conscience will not allow you 
peace. You may strive for it, other people may 
pronounce it, but your conscience permits you no peace 
until you have overcome the love of evil; then when 
the dicipline of pain has awakened within you the 
divine love of virtue, though all the world may brand 
you, all the uncharitable people in creation may tell 
you that you are not fit for decent society, God speaks 
peace in your heart, the returning prodigal and repent- 
ant Magdalene feels the peace of God which passeth 
all mortal understanding, a peace which cannot be 
bestowed by the world and which the world therefore 
cannot take away. We have all to deal with God as 
a divine Judge in ourselves, the judgment seat is within 
us, but the mercy seat is beyond and above us where 
the Eternal reigns, where angels are, where bright and 
holy ones are who have passed out of great tribulations 
into realms of glory, where the pure ones are who have 
outgrown the love of everything but purity. 

There is the mercy seat, so when we approach the 
higher power we approach infinite love, in which there 
is no reproach, but as the infinite love streams down 
upon us, as the light of divine mercy makes its way 
into our souls, telling us there is a higher and better 
wav, ever saying, "Behold, I show unto you a more ex- 
cellent way," that divine life, light and love constitute 
all the fire there is in "purgatory" or ,k hell," either in 
this world or any other. 

Let us think God for the " fires of hell," illustra- 
tions of which were drawn by Jesus from the pit of 



134 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

Gehenna outside the gate of Jerusalem, wherein all 
the refuse of the city was consumed, Gehenna being a 
sanitary institution that the atmosphere of the i 
might be pure and its streets clean. 

So outside of this world, or the realm of man's 
mortal observation there is an ever-burning lire, and 
when a rich man who cares nothing for his fellow 
creatures while on earth, who is less kind than oriental 
dogs, and will let the dogs pay their able atten- 

tions to the best of their ability to tin* poor Lazarus 
covered with sores, without taking example from them 
even to the extent of giving the beggar the crumbs 
from his table, when such a selfish miser, whocares 
nothing and no one but thinks entirely o >wn per- 

sonal comfort and luxury finds himself in hell and tl. 
lifts Ins eyes in torments, what effect does the lire have 
upon him? When it has burned him so severely that 
he would gladly fall at the feet of the Lazarus whom 
he had spurned, if he could but obtain from him but a 
single drop of water to cool his burning tongue, he 
outgrows his selfishness and pride, and while we 
not told that the sufferings have as yel abated, before 
they begin to abate they have shown their reformatory 
nature, for that man who was the very embodiment 
of luxurious self-indulgence, the very personification 
of egotism, never thinking previously of any one but 
himself, or of anything beyond his own dinner, his 
own house and his own comfort, even though Buffering 
intensely, exclaims, " would that an angel might be 
sent to my brethren lest they also come into this pi 
of torment." 

The world wants to know what Jesus really 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 135 

preached, to hear the New Testament explained, 
instead of ridiculed, the hidden wisdom revealed, 
instead of listening to ignorant attacks upon ancient 
spiritual literature made by people who arc not capa- 
ble of understanding its true meaning. 

Jesus taught that all suffering by lire, all torment, 
if you will, was God's angel of deliverance leading us 
to higher knowledge and nobler life. Jesus, familiar 
as he must have been with the opinions of the people 
about him, with Jerusalem and its outskirts, with the 
traditional beliefs of the House of Israel, with Tal- 
mudic and Rabbinical literature (having when only 
twelve years of age entered into consultation with the 
learned council of the Sanhedrim, the highest council 
in Israel), understood perfectly that Gehenna was a 
place of purification. In reading jthe Greek Testament, 
it may not be scholarly to translate the word for ever- 
lasting (as some Universalists have translated it), long- 

luring, for in several instances the same adjective 
has been variously translated eternal and everlasting 
simply for the sake of euphony, the original being in 
both instances the same. Do not be surprised, when we 
say that we are very glad the Universalists are not right 
in this particular, because if the fire were not eternal, 
if the time ever came when the fire should go out, 
then those who were not thoroughly redeemed, would 
have to remain for eternity in their sins. The divine 
fire which burns eternally, burns in us, as well 
without us. eternally; it torments us only until we have 
learned our needed lesson, and then that same (ire 
yields us indescribable comfort and delight. The ftre 
burns in the moral sense, and who is there that wishes 



136 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC*, 

to get rid of conscience, to blot it out so as to have no 
conscience throughout eternity ? Not one who thinks 
at all on this subject, can deny that the conscience 
which upbraids and accuses and is the source of our 
greatest misery, when it applauds, is the source of our 
greatest joy. 

If you are seemingly alone in the world, fighting 
for the right, with no friend in the material form to 
stand by you, and your conscieffl you are in the 

right, if you feel the Eternal Being sees your h< 
readsyour motive, you would surely rather let every- 
thing else go than hav destroyed or your 
sense of the divine omnipresence removed. 

Take away from one who bas committed an act of 
murder in the dark (no man having seen him he cannot 
be led to the gallows) all sense of divine scrutiny ,of GodVi 
omnipresence, he might ha >mparative peace, 

because conscience is as terrible to him as it is beautiful 
and blessed to the other. In the one ease "Thou God 
seest me " saves a man from suffering; in the other < 
it drives him to desperation; in the one instance 
it supports him even though the whole world is against 
him ; it enables him to so triumph inwardly that though 
his flesh were to perish at the stake he would sing 
praises to the Most High and know it is but a 1 
from flames to glory; but in the other case it compels 
him to throw himself upon human justice, confess his 
crime, or else go raving mad and die in despair, possibly 
by suicide. In both cases it is the same conscience, and 
the application of its working to two diametrically 
opposite states of mind is necessarily divine. Now if 
we follow that poor wretched victim of perverted 



SPIRHTAL THERAPEUTICS. |.°>7 

instincts into the invisible world, even though lie is con- 
demned to execution, or though he commit suicide, 
even though he drink to drown his sorrow, until through 
temporary insanity he is run over by horses in the 
street — no matter what becomes of him, what suffer- 
ings he may have to endure on the other side of the 

ve as well as on this — you will meet him among the 
blessed in eternity; and when you meet him thus, no 
matter when or where, with all his sufferings outlived, 
with all his sins outgrown, with all his miseries forever 
vanquished, that man will possess the same conscience, 
the same realization of right and wrong, though in a 
higher degree, but it will conduce to his bliss among 
the angels; he will then say, " Thank God for my con- 
science. Thank God for that once dreaded text of 
scripture, ' Thou God seest me', for now I realize the 
truth involved in it as essential to my unending happi- 
ness." 

When we realize that all that once caused us pain, 
suffering or sorrow is necessary to the development of 
our highest happiness, then we shall have made a right 
use of free will ; we shall then enjoy perfect freedom of 
will; a will to choose between our higher and lower 
self, a will to choose between the hosts of heaven that 
side with our conscience, and the hosts of those yet in 
darkness who side with our passions; but we shall 
then always choose on the right side. 

We are placed here on earth between opposing 
powers; those who urge us up and those who try to 

g us down; it all comes in the long run to this: 
That we must struggle between conscience and passion, 
for all higher influences reach us through our moral 



138 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

sense, while all lower influences reach us through our 
animal proclivities. 

Let us realize ourselves as ever between the hig 
and the lower spheres, and remember that as our power 
of resistance, like the extent of our knowledge, is not a 
fixed quantity that can never be increased. When we 
are very weak we cannot move a chair out of our w 
while at another time we can almost carry a piano upon 
our shoulders. We are continually increasing in bodily 
and mental strength so that we become daily the 
creators of circumstances instead of their creatures, 
and the time will come when we shall acknowledge no 
sovereign but the Eternal Being; when all personal 
wills will have lost their hold upon us. when all ex 
ternal circumstances will be under our government 
and control, and we who have been faithful over a few 
things will be rulers over many thim 

Our freedom of will is a constantly growing quan- 
tity; but we can never be iv^r from God's will, and 
when we are sensible Ave never wish to be. When 
we reach our highest condition we shall know God's 
will, and appreciate as well as understand it. both 
love and obey it, then we shall be under no earthly 
control. JSTo one will then be able to enslave us. 
for having outgrown that condition wherein we are 
servants to our own lower inclinations and proclivi- 
ties, and are therefore creatures and tools of lower 
wills, we shall be servants of God, and shall obey 
no other ruler. We shall obey the Eternal as he 
makes his will known in our souls, because we love 
and appreciate the perfect goodness of his will. And 
thus with no dread of God, but with the understand- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. ISO 

ing coupled with the love of God; with no dread of 
punishments, with no irksome sense of being under 
government, we shall obey, because our own higher 
nature feels the beauty and blessedness of obedience; 
in such condition we are perfectly free in truth, and 
this perfect freedom of our will will be our crown and 
our prize in that glorious state of immortality where 
sin and misery are unknown forever. 



LESSON VIII 



what IS THE PERFECT way and how may WE walk in \\ '. 

" Be yc perfect even as your Father which is in heavea is per- 
fect." 

THESE words have been spoken of again and again, 
as implying that which is imp How can 

man be perfect even as the Eternal ( )no i I Can 

man be omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent I ( 'an 

man be infinitely wis-' and loving, pure and just and 
good \ Tan man be on a level with the great Eternal 
Being who is the life and the soul of all the univi 
and its myriad forms of existence 1 "Can man by search- 
ing find out God," and can he discover absolutely the 
very existence of the divine Bein 

This is a question that scientists, philosophers and 
theologians have endeavored again and again to answer, 
but have in many instances utterly failed to compre- 
hend. 

If there is difficulty in finding God, in describing 
him, in making known to the world bis attributes, what 
must be the difficulty of complying with the injunction 
" be ye as perfect as the Eternal?" For surely if we 
are to be as perfect as the Eternal we must know every- 
thing about the Eternal and shape our lives voluntarily 
in obedience to our knowledge. 

If, however, there remaineth no longer any mystery 

140 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK 1 1 1 

for us in the divine nature which our spirit has not 
solved, if there are no impediments in our search for 
d which are not thoroughly removed by the discov- 
eries of intuition, can we not deem it possible for us in 
ense to obey the commandment, " Be ye peri 
n as your Father in heaven is perfect." 
With all reverence we make the assertion that even 
d cannot be more perfect than his nature allows 
him to be, and, therefore, if the nature of God is an all 
perfect nature and God lives in perfect harmony witli 
the requirements of that all perfect nature, if the divine 
thought, the divine word, the action are all in perfect 
union with the divine ideal, in union with the divine 

timent; then the nature of God is infinitely perl* 
but it has infinite capacities, infinite powers, infinite 
possibilities. And however glorious our conception of 
the Eternal One may be, however majestic the idea in 
our minds, of the Eternal Majesty of the Infinite, our 
intuition tells us it is impossible for God to be more per- 
fect than his nature allows him to be, and if he is in- 
finitely perfect his nature permits of infinite perfection. 
Why did an Apostle say it is impossible for God to 
lie. but because God is infinite truth, and a nature that 
is infinitely true cannot be finitely false, for infinity 
includes all there is, and outside the pale of infinity 
there c:m be nothing. Therefore to conceive of an infin- 
itely true God is to conceive of a God who cannot lie 
who cannot wish to lie, as the infinite will being 
v true to truth can have no emotion in the (lit 
ehood. We only say that God lives in per- 
harmony with his own law, with his own nature, in 
all particulars perfectly g 0u d. 



14'2 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS 

The beloved Disciple John said. "God is love," 
using the noun; he did not only say God is loving or 
God is infinitely lovable, but God is love itself; love 
is thesuprcme power. If that declaration is true then 
it is impossible for God to be unkind, it is equally im- 
possible for God to wish to he unkind. And so with all 
the divine attributes, justice, mercy, tenderness, etc. ; 
perfection, the infinitude of these attributes precludes the 
possibility of a desire in the infinite mind to act out of 
harmony with the divine conditions. Therefore the 
unlimited must have limitations in a certain sense and 
the limitations of the unlimited are infinite limitati< 
The limitations imposed by infinite goodness render 
impossible a single iota of unkindness: the lim- 
itation of infinites truth renders impossible the sma 
departure from the strictest line of ii y; the limi- 

tation of infinite justice percludes the possibility of a 
thought deviating by a hair's breadth fromperfeel equi- 
ty ; the limitation of infinite love shuts out forever the 
possibility of a single dispensation of Provide! 
matter how dark and mysterious— proc from an 

emotion which is not purely benevolent. 

When we can hold in mind the idea of an all -perfect 
Being, when we can rise above all the conflicting en 
which like fogs surround us on earth, when all the 
perplexities and inharmoniesborn of our ignorance and 
imperfection are overcome and we see with th< 
enlightened mind — yea, with the sight of the soul itself, 
which is far beyond man's merely intellectual power, 
the vision of eternal goodness, the sight of that eternal 
goodness will prove an absolute panacea for all the 
ills to which imperfect -mind is heir. Knowledge of the 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 14.'> 

Supreme Good is the eternal and infinite antidote to 
all sorrow, repining, discontent, misery and dissatisfac 
tion henceforth forever. But there are many persons 

who maintain there are no evidences that an Eternal 
Being lives, and there are others who maintain that 
even though God exists, God is not all-powerful. John 
Stuart Mill fell into the miserable error of supposing 
that the divine power and its operations were limited, 
1). i eause when he looked about him in the world he 
thought he saw equal evidences of divine goodness and 
of its opposite ; he thought the divine goodness had a 
circumference somewhere and that beyond the territory 
occupied by benevolence there was a dark waste occu- 
pied by evil, ignorance and hate. 

We find when we look at the matter closely that 
almost all the religions of the world have started out 
with the assertion, or assumption, that there is one 

1 and there is none beside him, and that he is all- 
perfect : yet they have soon divided the throne of the 
universe between this perfectly good God and interior 
earthly deities. Without saying anything to hurt the 

I ngs of those who differ from us and are not ready 

iccept the statement of pure theism, that goodness 
in the universe and that there is no supreme 
being but the eternal God, we wish to point out toy 
how very naturally mistakes have been made and yet 
how intolerable and unwarrantable they are beca 

y are flagrant errors, direct results of human igno- 
rance and weakn< - 

Our first positive affirmation is this: The mind of 
man cannot think beyond possibilities; there can he 
no fancy, no imagination which transcends the possi- 



144 SPIRITUAL THERAP1 

bilitiesof the uni for our imagtaatit im 

ages thrown upon our minds, reflections of obj< 
upon the retina of the mind's eye, impres mveyed 

to the interior brain, from which imp 
wholly removed and upon which impressions cannot 
made unless th mnething really in 

quate to produce such impressions. So, when 
say to us this thai or the other is all imagination, I 
a person is cured by imagination or I d and n 

ill by imagination, thai one ed by imagination 

and another rained by imagination, i 
may be so, bul imagination isa very important fa 
in our constitution, and a very important and influen- 
tial element in human exp inations 
are always reflected images of realities ; and when we 
are in a condition of mental harmony and health, when 
our inward eyes are open and we see t 
as they really are, when • e learned to m 
distinction which Longfellow made: " Thil not 
what they seem." seeing things from the stand p 
of spiritual reality and no longer from the point 
view of imperfect Unite appearance, we shall all de- 
clare goodness supreme in the universe, and G 
signifying the infinitely good, to be all in all. 

No one can deny thai m the world's thougl I 
expressed in the noblest literature there is found an 
idea of infinite truth, infinite l<>ve. infinite wisd< 
infinite benevolence, and no matter how hard and ter- 
rible the path of life may be for many, no matter how 
great the suffering, how bitter the misery, or how s 
rowful the bereavement many have undergone, yet in 
the midst of the most terrible torture which men h. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. W) 

ever experienced on earth, faith, genuine loving confi- 
dence in the eternrlGod,has not been shaken. Irrita- 
ble and shallow people complain because of their petty 
worries and annoyances there can he no infinite good- 
ness in the universe, for if God were infinitely good, if 
eternal goodness reigned, they would never be sick, 
never suffer, their business affairs would go smoothly, 
their friends would not be removed in the very heyday 
of their youth and prosperity, their children would not 
be snatched away while yet infants at the breast, but, 
oh, remember when you hear such wailing notes or are 
inclined thus to complain yourselves, that men, women 
and children have gone to the stake and been burned, 
have been tortured upon the rack, devoured by wild 
beasts, been stoned to death, and yet in the midst of 
the most terrible and excruciating tortures have been 
able to say as the ideal man said in his latest moments, 
k * Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit/' Such 
words have not been uttered only by one whom all 
Christendom has deified and acknowledged as (rod the 
Son as well as a son of God. but the first Christian 
martyr, Stepher, in the midst of the tortures of ston- 
ing, saw heaven open, and his beloved Master waiting 
to receive him. In the dark days of the persecution 
both of Catholics and Protestants in Europe only a few 
turies ago, and indeed throughout the history of 
the Christian church, many noble men and women 
from the rack and the flame have seen angels ready to 
welcome them to a higher life; they have not com- 
plained, they have not felt the sufferings they under- 
went irreconcilable with the infinite goodness of the 
Eternal. 
9 



140 SPIRITUAL THERAFEUTK 

Now if men and women have actually gone through 
sufferings far more painful than yours, it' many h; 
absolutely experienced tortures in comparison with 
which your miseries are trivial indeed, and in Bpiteof 
such excessive burdens have not lost their faith in God, 
then the trials you undergo are surely no evidences 
that there is no infinite Being of goodn< 6 those 

who have undergone far heavier trials have found that 
the divine light could shine through the densest clouds, 
that the infinite goodn ild be made manifest even 

in tlie cruellest chambers of torture. 

When we contrast our load with that of oth 

when instead of always looking at those who are 
favored and fortunate, who live in palaces, who have 
gorgeous apparel and beautiful carriages, if instead of 
always envying the great we descend into the hoi 
of the poor and take our station by the bedside of the 
sufferer who is tortured by the m< iciating pains ; 

in such wretched places we behold oftentimes intense 
joy and peace, perfect confidence in God, perfect trust 
in the eternal wisdom, while very, \^vy often the com- 
fortably housed, the well fed ami well clothed, the 
moderately prosperous, are those who, because they do 
not have everything they desiredeclare there can he no 
infinitly good Being superintending and controlling, for 
if there were they would ha ve all their ambitions grati- 
fied, all their prayers answered, all their doi 
removed. 

Through the entire experience of the world, and 
in the history of the universe throughout all its wide 
domain we learn that the perfect way is not the way 

of sudden achievement, or instantaneous fruition. We 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 117 

learn in all departments of nature, thai seeds must be 

deposited in the ground, grow in darkness and thee 
hurst forth, first into stalk and blade, then into tender 
ear and then at last comes the full corn in the ear. 
We learn that worlds are born grsiduatty, and that they 
work their way slowly up from chaos and an age of 
lire mist, until at length they shine as radiant spheres 
rolling in splendor, as worlds of golden light and glory, 
upon which life manifests itself in perfect freedom and 
entrancing beauty. 

The history of man teaches that man has gradually 
advanced from the savage bushman, who is little super- 
ior in appearance to a monkey, to a man who can con- 
trol the most powerful forces of external nature so that 
the very elements obey him, that by mechanical de- 
vices he can command rain to fall from heaven, even 
employing the lightnings of Jove to convey knowledge, 
as he hurls the very current of life itself (electricity) 
through space, making it fulfill his commands and de- 
liver his messages in all parts of the world. 

The gods of antiquity were only men in perspective ; 
the powers ascribed by cultured polytheists to the 
deities of Greece and Rome, were only powers which 
man himself possesses, and which he will at length per- 
fectly embody and fully unfold and utilize; the gods of 
ancient days were from a spiritualistic point of view, 
merely human spirits who had ascended already to the 
higher realms, and doubtless, as ancient literature reveals, 
had once been monarchs, rulers, prophet sand mighty per- 
sonages on earth ; the powers of gods in human form 
were the actual possibilities of man, and when the mul- 
titude shall have reached the high level of attainment 



148 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC*. 

of those who have already passed on to the true 
life, the most marvelous powers will be in every o 
possession to use as he will, but only for good, a 
power is not in the keeping of the basely disposed, they 
being unequal to its generation as well as to its em- 
ployment. 

The perfect way of man's development is the way of 
evolution, and evolution is the external manifestation of 
involution. Were y<>u able to see into the spiritual 
realm and watch the pro* of what you vaguely 

call creation, were you able as scientists to tran 
your gaze to the spiritual realm and study involution. 
then you would learn first of the descent of spirit, and 
afterwards of the ascent of matter ; then you would per- 
ceive that from the starting point of cause in spirit, 
thoughts and ideas Mow outward until they produce 
cellular tissues, protoplasm or germ cells upon earth, 
spirit manifesting itself ever more and more until the 
perfect man stands before yott. Von would then know 
that spiritual power is needed to create protoplasm, 
and that other actions of the same spiritual power 
necessary to develop protoplasm into the forms of per- 
fect manhood and womanhood; you would know thai 
Lamarkin Prance, Darwin and Spencer in England, and 
all the grand minds that are endeavoring to trace the 
ascent of life, an merely beginning with the outermost 
effect of life and trying to trace it back to t lie realm of 
causation, as many finding the estuary of a river en- 
deavor to trace the current back to its primal soui 
Yon can find the mouth of the Nile without any diffl 
cnlty; anybody could have discovered its month, for 
where it empties itself into tin* sea it is conspicuous in 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 14i> 

the eyes of all beholders, but African explorers had to 
proceed with laborious researches year after year and 
perhaps century after century, to find the source of the 
Nile. When physical scientists speak of the source of 
life, of the beginning of life, they only speak of the 
most external manifestations of life, of the point 
where life discharges itself in view of all behold* 
in earthly form. 

But where is the source of life? The source of life, 
its starting point is away up in the eternal hills, where 
from clouds of angels the stream of existence upon 
earth takes its rise, and flowing gradually through a 
thousand forms, at length manifests the fullness and 
glory of its true form in perfect manhood and woman 
hood. You cannot go back far enough when you sim_ 
ply studying geology, anthropology or astronomy. 
You can only discover effects, and then at last you are 
confronted with the greatest of all problems, but where 
did life come from and what is life? And when you are 
told by spiritual scientists among whom must be num- 
bered all truly eminent theologians and inspired spirit- 
ual teachers, manifested life is an efflux from eternal 
life, no onecan say it is not so t Material science knows 
not whether spiritual definitions are correct or not. 
Neither Spencer, Tyndall, Darwin nor any other great 
physicist or sociologist dares to deny the affirmation 
that life is an influx from Deity; all they say is, wo 
donot know whether it is or not. Colonel I ngersoll can- 
not logically go farther than that, and does not attempt 
to say more than that lie does not know of the origin 
of life. All life originates in spirit, in divine thought, 
in divine idea, and when great and noble scienti 



150 SPIRITUAL THERAPKU1 

men who have labored year after year until they I 
exhausted the fire and ardor of their physical fnu 
in the pursuit of knowledge and the solution of the 
most difficult problems presenting themselves to ra 
understanding, shall be conversed with in the realm 
the greai beyond, when von snail prep; h condi- 

tions of mind that you can enter into true communion 
with the great and glorious army who have ascended to 
the bigher life, then there will be disclosures from the 
spiritual Btate of being explaining every difficulty, solv- 
ing every problem and de Sphinx of m 
tery, by revealing the meaning of all that was expn 
in mysterious symbols, in the glorious architecture and 

art of the Eas1 in olden 1 inr 

When men and women come er without 

prejudice, ready to disarm themselv* 

Conclusions, when they are ready to hear all tli 

explained in the revolutionary new rev< 

lion, when they are ready to study science intuitn 
as Jesus urged the dews to read tl ords spiril 

ually; when they are ready toaccepl spiritual interpre 
tations of what Bcienoe is now revealing, even though 
sucli interpretation widely differs from the & 
interpretations of universil ies as the command of J< 
differed from tin* letter of Mosaic law, " An eye tor an 
eve and a tooth for a tooth." they wdl then he a hie to 
see as the best Bebrew scholars and the mot eminent 
and libera] Christians Bee to-day, that there is no discoid 
whatever between the essence of the Mosaic law and 
the essence of the Gospel of Jesus, that there is no con- 
flict whatever between spiritual and physical 
when both are understood. Evolution and involution. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 151 

will be alike plain when men have listened to the 
noble teachers who speak from the spiritual sph< 
and give the result of their knowledge in the immortal 
world; these can reveal how qycvy impulse works out- 
ward from spiritual cause to physical effect; all the 
difference between true theology and genuine material 
science is, that true theology begins with Theos — God, 
and true geology with Geos — earth. Working from 
Geos to Theos yon can trace the evolution of all earth's 
various forms; working from Theos to Geos you trace 
involution as the cause of all manifestations of in- 
telligence. 

And thus, if life proceeding from God to the atom 
employs the involutionary pathway, and returning from 
the atom to the Deity employs the evolutionary path wav, 
then there is no conflict between theoloo*v and sreolosrv, 
no conflict between the science of heaven and the science 
of earth. One science tells you how the life proceeding 
from Deity pulsates in atoms, and the other how the 
pulsation of atomic life can be traced to the Eternal 
Mind; both ways are perfect. The way of travel to the 
circumference is a perfect way, and the way of travel 
back from the circumference to the center is a perfect 
way; and when these two perfect ways have been re- 
solved into the one all-perfect way, then the outward 
and the return journey of spirit to matter and matter 
to spirit will be understood as the great truth of the 

3, which all religions and all science have endeavored 

•xplain but have not as yet fully interpreted in any 
instance. 

There are a few persons on earth who have found 
the perfect way; a few who have discovered the true 



152 SPIRITUAL 'i EEBAK] 

relation between spirit and matt and 

effect* between form and its origin in spirit. W 
these wonderful p do not necessarily be 

any Brotherhood i rhood,ortoanj ani- 

on, while their home is not n< y in In 

still the recordsof astonishingly wonderful works which 
you hear of as being performed by Mahatmas, Ad« 
and others, who have devoted their liv< spiritual 

development, have all been Founded upon the fact that 
when man becomes superior to material inclinal 
and lias put under his feet al! prejudice and vain 

ambition, h< 4 tx . no Ion 

blinded by the dust of matter in his mental We 

therefore recommend toyoua spirit u 
phy as a means of theo I development, which 

signifies an unfoldment in the know! 
Join. We would not advise you to make long p 
ages to celebrated shrines in this or any other country, 
or to clothe yourself in haircloth, or to walk with bare 
feel over jagged rocl d<» not tell you that you 

must leave your family and fr and hide yourself 

in some ret ired place in the II imalayan Mountains: 
do not tell you that your own country and your own 
daily duties are not sufficient for your highest develop, 
ment. 

Mere asceticism lias frequently developed self right- 
eousness and vaunted superiority in i the 
higher matters of the law, justice, and above all, 
charity, have been neglected. In all exalted teachii 
that have ever been given to mankind, fasting and 
prayer have been put forward a- i 
ward the perfect life; perversion has occurred when the 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 153 

true idea of prayer and fasting lias boon lost sight of, 
and men have obeyed the letter, but neglected the 
spirit. A person may be no nearer the kingdom of 
Heaven because he eats no meat on Friday, and keeps 
all the vigils and ember days; but if you subsist upon 
short rations day by day because your means do not 
allow you to have all you would like, or far better, be- 
cause you feed some poor hungry sufferer at your gate; 
if you do not eat your meat because you prefer to give 
it to one who needs it more than yourself, if you go 
about in tattered garments because you have given 
your clothing to keep the cold from the naked body of 
some one who lacked, then your charitable devotion to 
the necessities of others, or rather the spirit which 
causes you to make outward sacrifices, must elevate 
your soul ; you walk then surely in the true way, and 
you have prayed to eternal goodness by cultivating 
divine goodness within your own breast; having risen 
superior to self love, and having cultivated the love of 
neighbor, you have demonstrated the reality of the 
love of God in your soul. 

Whenever we act from a divine impulse, whenever 
we work to save and help our brethren, we render the 
accepted offering which is acknowledged as the only 
sacrifice that God requires, by the most inspired teach- 
ers of every age. It was the saying of a grand old 
Hebrew prophet, "What doth God require of thee hut 
to deal justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with 
him?" Walking with God is walking lovingly and 
honestly with one's fellow beings. Now if any one has 
supposed that rigorous initiations, strange and weird 
incantations, magical circles and awful rites and cere- 



154: SPIRITUAL TIIKK.M 

monies initiate persons into the perfed way, they have 
surely been deceived by blind ; the blind; 

many who have struggled for perfection on the road of 
magic have found, to their bitter cost, that the blind 
led by the blind both fall into the ditch. A deal 

of so-called theosophy and a many theosophists 

have failed because they were actuated by pride, selfish- 
ness, worldly ambition, by the desire to do sometl 
greater than anybody else, and nol being actuated by 
pure benevolence, but rather by love of i lie mysteri 
In their determination to exalt themselves there has 
been fulfilled in their experience noothei pi than 

this : "He that exalteth himself shall be abased. 93 

Bui when we go beneath the letter and touch the 
spirit, when we discover the deep and glorious inner 
meaning which lies in all the wisdom of th< 
when reading wisdom alike from the Sanscrit, Hebrew 
and the Greek, we find that Jesus and Buddha, all the 
lights of the ( )rient and i in pointing 

out a perfect way. and we ask, wi hat per 

way i Turning to the ideal life of Jesus and to the ideal 

life of Buddha, the Light of Asia, we read in the history 

of both that the great renunciation, the glorious self 
abnegations, that characterized those great teacl i 
led them to forget all earthly honor, that they might 

win for humanity a crown imperishable. When they 
had lost sight of self and had become nothing in their 
own eyes, having made God and humanity everything, 
then they found what no penance, nor rituals, nor 
ceremonials could teach; they found the perfect way, 
they became pure in heart, and therefore they saw- 
God. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 155 

You are told in the story of Buddha, us it is mag- 
nificently related in verse by Edwin Arnold, that the 

truth came to him only after he had given up all associa- 
tion with his royal family and the splendors of an East- 
ern court, when he no longer adhered to the externals 
of the Brahmin faith and practices, when he no longer 
considered it incumbent upon him to obey the ritual 
requirements of the East, when he overthrew caste 
and put down every form of tyranny and carnality, 
when he acknowledged all men as equals, when he was 
kind to every beast of the field, when he Avas moved 
by love of others and sought no self-gratification ; then 
whilst he was meditating under the holy tree a divine 
revelation came to him, and he found Nirvana, not in 
the loss of his identity, not in the absorption of his 
soul into the essence of Brahm, but in the perfect union 
of his will with the divine will, as a drop in the ocean 
flows harmoniously with all other drops and yet re- 
tains its individuality intact forever; though never los- 
ing its identity, there is no conflict, no struggle between 
itself and any other. 

If any ask, what becomes of the individual human 
soul I Shall I always retain my identity \ We tell you 
that only when you cease to think of self will you find 
your highest self ; when you are no longer concerned 
about your own identity you will have found your 
highest identity; then will you find the divine image 
within you, and shine forever in resplendent glory and 
know yourselves to be children of the Most High. 

Over and over again we are told we may become 
children of God. We are all children of God now, but 
when Ave become children of God in a special B61 



15G BPIKITCAL THERAPEUTH 

we come to know ourselves as such; when we are intra 
duced into the knowledge of divine truth it is because 
our spiritual eyes open, and when our inward eves open 
all the universe is seen by us as it was never seen before; 
when our spiritual ears are unstopped and our llpe are 
unclosed, we hear and speak from the sold as wo never 
heard or spoke before. 

We are all possessors of divine life, but we are like 
men and women who are heirs to some wonderful in- 
heritanceand know not of it; we | by right jewels 

and treasures beyond all price, hut we have not yet found 
them. When you discover y^ur spiritual] <»ns, 

when you are thoroughly revealed to yourself and know 
what you really are, when youhavefound your deepest 
nature that is within you, you will discover that y<>u 
are each as a drop in the ocean of God's infinitude; you 
will then be filled with eternal joy, and will not think 
any more either about forgetting self or preserving 
identity. 

But your identity is what nothing can destroy; 
sense of your identity is the only consciousness thai can 
never leave you; it is the only thing that seemingly 
takes care of itself under all circumstances and cannot 
be lost; identity is inseparable from your real being 
which relates you forever to the infinite identity of the 
Eternal. To attain to perfect oneness with Deity 
you must all attain to perfect oneness, i. <. harmony 
with each other; you must all become co-workers, lov- 
ing one another with pure hearts fervently, and not 
preferring yourself or your own interests to those of a 
neighbor; you must boAV down no more to the competi- 
tive idol, but acknowledge co-operation or divine com- 



si'IRl'ITAI. THERAPEUTICS. 157 

munism ; enlightened minds will no longer fall into tin 

errors of those communists who though setting out with 

:ul and holy purpose, have spoiled their plan or seen 

it ruined by selfishness. Strive to enter into the spirit 

of those great reformers who are actuated alone by 
divine benevolence and you will discern the pattern of 

universal equity. 

When Robert Owen and Robert Dale Owen, two of 
the noblest men America has produced, endeavored to 

iblish communistic settlements, it was their highest 
ambition to do good and elevate society; they were 
willing to undergo privation and the loss of earthly 
sessions that they might help others; we cannot 
but admire these noble and glorious men; both of them 
were fully conversant before they passed into the spirit- 
ual world, of the reality of immortal life ; both were 
spiritualists in the true sense of the word, and endeav- 
ored to enter into profitable relations with spiritual life 
by the cultivation of spirituality, knowing that spirit- 
uality was cultivated by benevolent disposition and 
action. They trod in the perfect way as far as they 
could find it, but then why were their endeavors com- 
paratively unsuccessful? why was so much of their toil 

aingly fruitless? why were their splendid commu- 
nities castles in the air more than anything else? 
Surely because the men and women who undertook to 
walk with them were not so magnanimous as they 
who led the way. When magnanimity and not). 

shall guide persons to form combinations solely 
for the good of the race, then we shall Bee an ideal 

imunity; but the preaching of communism as right 
living, with all the eloquence and argument that can 



158 SPIRITUAL TIIKKAI'Kri: 

possibly be brought forward in its defense, will fall to 
nothingness until the spirit that imbues the worker 
the enterprise as well as the founders 
pure philanthropy. 

Wccjiii sec no perfecl way of doing anything when 
we are imperfect in our thought and desire. There 
can be nothing perfect on the outside until there 
perfect state within ; no perfecl government, no perl 
law, no perfect order, no perfect body until then 
perfect thought within. There must be perfect thought 
first, as all works are embodiments of thought. Ex- 
ternal forms fall short of thought bul never transcend 
it. 

The thought must be perfect before the external 
be. Consider a seed ; can you put an imperfi 
into the ground and make it produce a perfect plant! 
No; no sunshine or rain.no process of in . no 

enriching of soil can possibly make an imperfi 
bear a perfecl plant. P< n must inhere in the 

I, and if this be the case then if all climatic influ- 
ences are favorable and it receives the necessary cull 
tion adapted to it, it can unfold into a perfect plant. 80 
in our own minds there must be a perftc! seed, a per- 
fect thought. M Be ye pei it is within the reach 
of every one of you. Four thought must be a per 
seed before it is a perfect acorn, a perfect acorn 
it is a perfect sapling and a perfect sapling before it is 
a perfect oak 80 when generation is spiritually 
accomplished there is first a perfect babe, then a per- 
fect child, a perfect youth, a perfect young man. a per- 
fect man of mature years, but a babe as a babe may be 
just as perfect in nature and freedom from taint as the 
perfect man. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. lf>9 

So all along the perfect way, in the pathway of con- 
stant progress there is growth, expansion, unfoldment, 
ever a further manifestation. But in the perfect way 

there are no worms to eat the seed, no diseases to 
destroy the beauty and symmetry of j^outh ; no errors 
introduced to mar the plan, no wild oats sown with the 
vain expectation that there will never come a reaping 
time for anything but golden grain. In the perfect 
life there must be oerfect attention pa id to ewry detail 
of growth. 

What do you call perfect ? That is only perfect 
which is perfect in every detail, but that is perfect 
which during all the stages of its development is per- 
fect as far as it extends. You may be painting a per- 
fect picture — but what do you require for a perfect 
painting? First, a perfect sheet of blank canvas; then 
you begin to cover it, doing the first day very rudimen- 
tary work indeed, just a little marking upon the can- 
vas, but it is perfect as far as it goes, and you go on 
month after month until your picture is at length a 
master piece in some school of art. 

Xow that is a sample of what our life should be; 
that is the idea we should put before our children ; do 
not expect old heads on young shoulders; do not expect 
a child to know as much as a man ; do not expect by a 
single leap or bound to mount up to celestial heights, 
but always move in the right direction ; never turn 
back, go' straight ahead; be sure you are right and 
then keep straightforward. That is the rule of perfec- 
tion. Do the best you can each day. Let the child 
recite one portion of the multiplication table perfectly, 
and then goon and learn the next portion, and so on 



160 Kill Af. TIIKUAI'Kl II 

until he has the whole complete. Learn everyth 
thoroughly as you go. 

This is the meaning of "Be ye perfect;" pei 
according to your power, according to your knowled 
according to your ability ; beperfecl in your n 
perfect in intention, will, desire, motive, Never 
anythin it ; never <lo 

anything unless you feel il : to do Tallow 

yourself to indulge a though! unless you feel that 

thought is a rightful and holy one. 

" Be ye perfect i our Father who is in 

heaven is perfect," because you hav< bilities 

of perfection, because you are in the image and 
ness of the all-p □ is theonly 

one thing to be tolerated in all si advancement. 

Perfection never means transcending the order or 
law of growth ; il i\<»'* not mean ignoring the slow and 
Bteadyproa involution and evolution. Lei the 
involuted thought and the evoluted action be alike per- 
fect, the one the cause, i he ( a her the effect. Then the 
command, " Be ye perfect even as the eternal is per- 
fect," will not be undersl 1 by you in any impossible 

sense, but as within the limits of the possibl I of 

every one of you. 

Our application of the subject, therefore, is this: 
Have only one master, and that master your high 

conviction of right. Acknowledge only one (rod and 
one revelation from God, and that revelation the di\ 
voice in your own soul. When you give your children 
moral or religious education, when you call them to- 
gether in a Lyceum and teach them so that all may un- 
derstand, never say a statement is true because it is in 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 161 

the Bible ; never say a thing is right because you tell 

them so; some time they may find you are mistaken 
and they will grow up to distrust your authority and 
to doubt your position being a warrantable our. 
But say to every child, never do anything that will 
cause you to forfeit your self respect ; always listen for 
the still small voice of the Holy Spirit within you; 
always listen to the divine command echoing between 
the cherubim of your moral and intellectual nature ; 
always look for the Shekinak within; always remember 
that the highest oracle is within; that the voice of the 
Eternal sounds within vour innermost being: do what- 
ever you do because you feel it to be right. 

But supposing you are mistaken, what will the 
result of honest mistake be? Mistakes will teach you 
wisdom. Xever be discouraged and never look upon 
your work as evil, because that work is not immedi- 
ately perfect in all the fullness of completion. 

In the perfect life if one lives in harmony with 
highest intention, conforming himself as far as he 
may to his loftiest ideal, he is perfect as far as he can go, 
but not perfect finally because he has not traversed the 
whole of the way. In building a temple you may have 
only the foundation laid, and that may be perfect, but it 
is not a perfect temple; only when the temple is com- 
pleted can the architect say, u There is a perfect expi 
sion of perfect thought/' 

Here is the true idea of perfect life. In soul we 
generate perfect thought, a perfect ideal : then we 
have to work it out, laying stone upon stone, until 
that perfect thought is externalized in the perfect 
temple of our manifested being. 
10 



162 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

And when you feel, "I have committed a sin ; I am 
so sorry; I thought I acted for the best, bul I find I 
made a mistake ; I did wrong ; I have hurt some one 
to whom I would have given the sweetest consolation ;'' 
we tell you, you did right, relatively, because you did 
the best you could; it would he unreasonable on the 
part of God, and, therefore, impossible for him to he 
angry with you. If you did not feel that your acts 
were imperfect, you would settle down in contentment 
and never rise higher. No ad is properly imperfect 
when it is the best you can pel-form, under the circum- 
stances. 

Let us reverence our ideal of perfection and rest as- 
sured that the way to perfection is ever to act in har- 
mony with the hot that we know, so that we may 
ever do better and better and better, until the compara- 
tive changes to the superlative, and we are perfect 
in the purity of our every thought and perfect also in 
the wisdom that enahles us to carry our perfect 
thought into perfect effect, which will ever be dis- 
played in a symmetrical mind expressed through the 
Instrument of a sound and healthy body. Perfect ph 
cal health is the ultimate or final consequence on 
earth of perfect thought in spirit, compatible with 
present attainments. 



LESSON IX. 

THE RELIGIOUS INSTINCT; ITS ORIGIN, GROWTH AND ULTI- 
MATE PERFECTION. 

THERE are many persons whonow-a-days question 
the desirability of religion, as many consider the 
word religion implies restrictions antagonistic to liberty, 
maintaining that as religion is derived from rdigio, 
which signifies to bind, or to bind again, therefore to be 
religions implies to be held in bondage. Now while 
there is no necessary idea of bondage connected with 
religion, we must all admit in a certain sense that we 
must be bound in order to be free. 

There are no two words in the English language 
which mean more directly opposite things than liberty 
and license, than freedom and lawlessness. No one can 
be lawless and yet free; no one can be unmindful of 
the interests of his fellow beings and live as though be 
were the only occupant of the world and enjoy liberty, 
for liberty is a pure, holy, divine and healthy senti- 
ment, which unites man forever and forever with the 

nally true, with the eternally JVee. "He is free 
whom the truth makes free, and all are slaves beside." 
isan utterance that has been wisely quoted thousands 
of times in the past, and will be quoted thousands of 
times in the future, as it expresses the true idea of what 
liberty is. Liberty is freedom to serve truth ; freedom 

163 



164 SPIRITUAL TIIERAPKril 

to live a life of truth in obedience to one's highest con- 
victions of right and duty. Genuine liberty is liberty 
for the soul, for the spiritual nature, for the immortal 
mind, over which death can have no power and the 
grave no victory. Liberty is a divine and holy realiza- 
tion of our relation to divine 4 law and order, and the 
willing subjection of all our material inclinations to im- 
mortal guidance. Liberty never concerns itself with 
the first person singular, with my affairs or my inter- 
ests; liberty knows nothing of the greal /. but al\\ 
speaks of ovr interests, of our concei welfare. 

Liberty, therefore, is in perfect accord with self abne- 
gation, and yet with purest self enjoyment in the spir- 
itual sense. 

Without doubt it is natural to man to love happi- 
ness, and, to search for it, it is natural to the 
human family to try every experiment until they find 
happiness; every creature Beeks happiness, and i( 
our supreme conviction that the day is coming in this 
world when everybody on the planet will be happy. 
Our sincere conviction is, that that wonderful goal 
of joy looked forward to by all nations and individuals, 
will one day be found; that as the Eternal Parent is 
an infinitely happy spirit, all children of the one Great 
Eternal are by their very nature, by the essential and 
unchanging constitution of their being ordained to hap- 
piness. Our belief is that all darkness and discord, all 
the pain and trouble through which mankind at large 
is now passing and through which individual minds are 
passing, even be} T ond the grave, is never anything wo 
than a school discipline, and even though a school be a 
purgatory, it is still an educational institution. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. L6fi 

Our idea concerning man's existence is, that every 
creature, without exception, is born not only with a 
great desire to be happy but also with an instinct that 
happiness is natural to him and will eventually he real- 
ized by him. 

Happiness can be only attained in one way: in 
purity, not in impurity; in truth, not in error; in love, 
not in hate; in knowledge, not in ignorance; in wisdom, 
not in folly. And as happiness can only be obtained 
in wisdom, knowledge, love, liberty, truth and right- 
eousness, no matter where we may be, either in an ex- 
ternal form or in spirit, we must be unhappy as long 
we are impure, foolish, ignorant, untruthful, unloving, 
unwise or unrighteous; and as all onhappiness is the 
result of ignorance and imperfection, it is as the grand 
old Grecian sage, Socrates, described, happiness, good 
and knowledge are all one, while evil, darkness 
ignorance and misery are all one and inseparable ; so 
we must all admit that as there is within the mind 
of man an ineradicable desire to be happy, and happi- 
ness can only be found in the one way ordained by 
Eternal Providence, i. e. in compliance with divine 
order, all souls will at length be happy, all lives will 
eventually flow together in one divine channel and all 
feet march together up that great hill upon the summit 
of which stands the city of gold, the symbol of the 
transmutation of all life's perplexities into the absolute 
fullness of eternal harmony. 

Sorrow is often-times an alchemist transmuting 
the baser elements into the more precious. Our per- 
plexities and woes, and even our restless discontent, 
are all servants of the divine plan that works out in- 



1C6 SPIRITUAL Til ER API II 

finite good at last ; when we hear the words pronounced 
so often on funeral occasions, u Peace at the last,' 3 let 
us pause for a moment and ask, "What is the last :" 
The last, Omega, is identical with the first. Alpha. In 
the beginning God created, i. &, in the beginning of 
the history of a planet God began to manifest himself, 
and at the last his manifestation is complete to all 
souls from that planet. In the beginning man was en- 
dowed with a purfe and holy soul, immortal, ineffable, 
and at the last, no matter how long tli.it soul may liave 
been eclipsed, it shines forth in divine splendor, in 
sheen of glory it bursts from behind the clouds which 
have so long veiled it and caused shortsighted minds to 
deem it lost forever. 

All our imperfections and errors may be compared 
to the mists and fogs, and smoke arising from the 
earth, especially from great manufacturing cent 
while our souls in their union with the Eternal may be 
compared with the glorious lights of heaven that are 
never diminished or quenched, because earthly factor- 
ies and chimneys Jill the air with smoke. 

Here on the earth we are surrounded with imperfec- 
tion and error, we are living in a smoky atmosphere 
and the smoke arises from the chimneys of our hoc 
and our factories wherein Ave do material cooking, and 
engage in material merchandise. We cannot see the 
glorious lights on high when we are in the midst of a 
city whose chimneys fill the air with smoke, but when 
we get some distance out of the city, though our trav- 
eling brings lis no nearer to the heavens above, no 
nearer the glorious sun, no nearer the circling planets 
and the "fixed stars" so very faraway, bv it we get 



SPIRITUAL TIIKRAPKITI [67 

out of the smoky atmosphere that we ourselves have 
created by our own occupation and our own very im 

perfect way of doing business; so when we have go1 
out of the mental smoke whieh befogs ideas, out of 
the smoky atmosphere of our doubts and misbeliefs, 
got rid of all unhealthy sentiments which arise from our 
perverted nature and which make impure the atmos- 
phere we breathe — God will have come no nearer to 
us. angels will be no closer to us, divine power no more 
ready to bless us, but we shall see the sun where afore- 
time we saw* the fog; the fog will clear away that hid 
the sun — then will the sun appear. This simile will bo 
found very important and easy of application in almost 
all cases. 

Astronomy teaches that the sun is much older than 
the earth but no matter how old it is, the earth could 
know nothing about it until the sun became visible to 
the earth. Xo matter how old the stars may be the 
earth could know nothing about them until it became 
ready to see them, so from man's standpoint of imper- 
fect observation it appears as though new worlds were 
ever coming into existence, as though new truths 
were ever being born, though from God's point of 
view, from the point of view of the angels who 
have passed beyond the murky shadows of earthly im- 
perfection there are no such new creations, new dispen- 

ons and new revelations as less enlightened minds 
suppose. but they understand how man in his ever inet 
ing intelligence draws ever nearer and nearer boa knowl- 
edge of the Eternal and his works. And so when you 

j, " Nearer my (rod to thee, nearer to thee." you must 
not imagine that the idea of prayer, when interpreted 



/ 

i68 SPIRITUAL TIIERAl'ErTI* 8. 

truthfully, spiritually, philosophically, and scientifically 
carries with it the slightest si on that God ever 

changes his disposition toward us; you must never 
suppose for one moment there is any such thing as an 
atonement or reconciliation offered to the offen led 
Majesty of Heaven whereby lie Is importuned to have 
mercy upon the sinner; never suppose there can be 
any opposition in the divine nature bel ween the dr 
attributes, so thai mercy and justice are reconcilable by 
vicarious atonement. 

But in the lighl of a true perception of man's 
spiritual nature he offers atonement who eff< con- 

ciliation, who reveals the fatherly character of the 
Infinite, who removes all that doubt, fear and pride 
which as the smoke filling the earth's atmosphere, hides 
the glorious luminaries of the heavens from man's ob 
vatioii. and as theology of old lias often concerned itself 
with changes in God, and from the very earliest times 
men have engaged in propitiatory rites, inofl tcri- 

lices to placate a hitherto implacable Deity, as men sup- 
posed that by their altars runningwith blood, by human 
as well as animal sacrifices they might prevail upon < lod 
to be merciful — they will learn in the future thai God 
was never unreconciled to man, but man has, unfortu- 
nately, often been unreconciled to his brother man, 
and the reconciliation which needs to l>< k effected in 
society to-day is, the unification of all races, and the 
identification of all human interests. We must no 
longer remain unreconciled to each other, and in our 
own individual nature we must no longer remain at 
discord with ourselves. Follow out this train of thought 
simply and logically and you will all understand the 
true nature of atonement. 



spikiti Al. THERAPEUTICS, 169 

The religious instinct in man is as n:\tural as the in- 
stinct to walk, talk, eat, clothe ones-self or Bleep. Any 
good phrenologist will tell you that the organs of ven- 
eration, spirituality, sublimity, benevolence, conscien- 
tiousness, and all the others which portray religious 
and moral faculties are just as natural as the organ of 
aliment iveness which disposes toward the enjoyment 
of food, or the organ of destructiveness which immod- 
erately developed causes men to be dangerous to one 
another, but when perfectly balanced and wisely un- 
folded gives strength of character without which man 
would have no intellectual vigor or spiritual power. 

The religious sentiments are born in man, and the 
organ of spirituality which phrenology has discovered, 
as well as the organ of veneration, proves the natural 
instinct of worship, which, because natural, may be 
cultivated or repressed, but never totally eradicated. 

Nature worships in every flower that turns its face 
to the sun, offering an act of adoration to the great 
fountain of energy; the animal that looks up to man. a 
dog or horse looking up to his master with loving 
gratitude, displays the instinct of veneration. And 
when men erect high pedestals and place upon them 
statues of great men and women, almost deifying heroes 
and heroines; while they spare no praise and stint n<* 
gratitude when asked to pour out eulogistic adoration 
at the feet of some benefactor of society, man though 
he calls himself an infidel and avows no faith in God, 
doubting if there be a spiritual or supreme Being, his 
natural instinct of veneration leads him to bow down 
some superior man. In America there are men who 
acknowledge no supreme Kuler of the universe, who do 



170 SPIRITUAL TIIERAPKl'Ii 

not believe in erecting houses of worship, and who dis- 
regard all religious sentiment and worship altogether, 
who are ready to almost deify George Washington, 
Abraham Lincoln and other eminent patriots; ti 
who read history are so profoundly touched with a 
sense of the majesty — we may also say divinity — of the 
greatest characters who appear upon the historian's 
page, that they consider no monument, no eulogy t<><> 
extravagant when these men are brought before them 
as objects of respect. 

There is in man an irrepressible instinct of venera- 
tion and worship, and when people talk about the time 
coming for worship to >r adoration and devotion 

to come to an end. we tell you if that time d<>< s come 
man will be born with only half a brain, but as long 
he is born with a whole brain pliv tsand phrenol- 

ogists will still behold the outward indications of senti- 
ments of worship within the mind. 

This true instinct of worship, venerat ion, adoration, 
this continual looking up to ahigher power is the le 
in man which lifts him to a higher and more glorious 
life; that moral sense, or conscience, thai spiritual faculty 
which is so closely allied t<>, and. indeed, inseparably 
identified with the distinction between right and wrong, 
•or the sense of good and evil, is the magnet within 
man's being that attracts him to a higher life, the 
inpiration of the soul within him that causes him to 
rise to a more blessed level and without which moral 
and spiritual progress would be impossible. 

Unfortunately, man has been so ignorant of his tine 
nature, that what has been after all the divinest and 
kindest gift of the Eternal to his children, has been 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 171 

regarded as the voice of God's displeasure, as the anger 
or wrath wherewith he would smite his enemies. How 

very, very often in human ignorance men denounce 
cruel that which in days of added wisdom they declare 

to be most kind of all. How very often that parental 
discipline which brings the most tears to the eye and 
the most immediate sorrow to the heart of a child in the 

days of its adminstration, in after years proves itself to 
the absolute satisfaction of the offspring to have been 
the noblest and kindest ministration of fatherly and 
motherly love and wisdom. 

So when Ave look back through the dim vistas of 
by-gone years, when through the long ages we 
humanity toiling up the steeps of time, and shedding 
blood even, for what we may now term superstition or 
fanaticism, we find the instinct of worship even within 
the savage breast, deepest down in human nature of all 
instincts, and destined at last to overcome all imperfec- 
tions and shine forth in its native brilliancy as God's 
best gift to man. 

Let ns consider briefly some of the forms which this 

natural instinct of worship has already taken to mani- 

itself, how it is now manifesting itself, and how 

- likely, indeed certain, to manifest itself in future. 
Our first proposition is that no one ever worshiped any- 
thing without deeming it in some respect superior to 
himself; no one ever bowed to any power, force or 
creature without endowing that power, force or creat- 
ure with superior attributes; and no one ever endov 
any creature, force or power with superiority unt il that 

• \ power or creature had manifested something that 
looked like superiority to the worship* r. 



172 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

Let us revert to the earliest form of savage worship, 
the worship of animals. Wherein does animal superiority 
consist ? Surely in superior physical s1 rength. No one 
can deny for a moment that the larger animals on earth 
are man's superiors physically ; in bodily strength, in 
power to protect themselves, in power to fight, they 
most certainly excell. Poor, illiterate, naked savaj 
not armed with the weapons which intelligent and 
skillful nations have devised, could not protect them- 
selves against the mauraders of ; they w 
stung to death by venomous reptiles they could Dot 
control; they were eaten up alive by mom the 
forest they could not destroy, bul whomer* des- 
troyed them; had they not then good reason t<> n< 
nize superior strength in such creatures 1 Now, us they 
witnessed in animals and reptiles a disposition to do 
them harm, they discovered also that they could appe 
them by offering them food; that they would often 
eat the food given them instead of destroying them and 
their children; what was theoutcomc? Surely a system 
of sacrifice ; even human sacrificegrew up in the world 
and frequently parents offered their own children to 
monsters; they offered one child that several might he 
saved ; later on they frequently offered prisoners whom 
they had taken in war, and in still later times they 
offered those who were less perfect than others in order 
that by the sacrifice of one they might save many : 
rifices to the barbaric gods of all trib tinted with 
fear of animals and the elements. 

When men saw creatures of savage propensities 
holding sway on earth, they soon thought of militant 
powers in heaven, of wrathful and unmerciful gods, es- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 173 

pecially as they saw nature bestowing what Beamed to 

them her greatest gifts upon the cruel and ruthless; 
they soon endowed the power that brought everything 
into existence with attributes like those of the serpent, 
the bear, the lion, the tiger and the wolf, and then when 
they turned their eyes to the heavens above, and also 
contemplated the phenomena perpetually transpiring 
upon the earth around them, wind, thunder, lightning, 
volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, cyclones and all forms 
of devastation, which were more active in early times 
than now, did they not naturally endow the powers 
who ruled all things, withawe and majesty, with power 
and might, but with very little love, mercy or tender- 
ness ' And indeed to any one who is not a careful 
scientist, a profound philosopher, or deeply spiritual 
in his thought, the universe certainly suggests the idea 
of wrath mingled with beneficence. To any one who 
cannot read in the future the harmonizing and equaliz- 
ing of all things, this world appears to be given over in 
large measure to powers of darkness, hate and cruelty. 
To those who look only upon the surface, there are no 
sfactory evidences of a perfectly good God supreme 
in the universe. We do not w r onder that awful ideas of 
devils, hells, divine wrath and fiery retribution hold 
sway, when we see the lightings strike the dwellings of 
the innocent as well as of the guilty, when the earth- 
quake does not spare the babe at the breast, or the 
mother who is so necessary to the maintenance of her 
offspring, any more than it spares the murderer; when 
the volcanic eruption has no sympathy for the young 
and tender, any more than for those who have lived a 
life of sin. 



174: SPIRITUAL THERAPEUT1 

There is an awful mystery in nature; a mystery 
which scientists, philosophers and theologians have 
alike endeavored to unravel and have as yet been un- 
able to satisfactorily explain save when from the higher 
realms of spirit and the deepest intuitions of man's 
divine soul a voice has declared this is only a prelude 
to the oratorio affolding to the temple, which 

when it appears in all its beauty, crowned with 
light, the scaffolding removed, and the noise of 
the workmen hushed,— when all th< of anj 

waves have subsided and there is a greal calm, when 
the rain and wind hav< I. then you will see the 

earth rejuvenated and perfected. Then you will 
know that all is For the best, and the righteous shall 
shine forth in the kingdom of their Father. 

There is wonder and dread all over the world, and 
those poor short-sighted theologians who can see on 
earth into hell, but can not see through hell into heaven, 
who can see beyond man to devil, 1ml cannot 
beyond devil to the angel into which that devil will at 
length be converted, whocan see the strife, discord 
and storm, hut can not see beyond it to the day of inef- 
fable calm and great glory yet to be revealed such 
short-sighted gazers into the mysteries of human hie 
and destiny are not merely imagining horrors or suppos- 
ing calamities— they simply do not see farenough; 1 1 
point of view docs not reach out into the universe far 
enough. 

Until we have more powerful tele ater 

powers of spiritual vision, until we are longer sighted 
with regard to spiritual things, we shall he tormented 
with dread of fiends and hobgoblins and all the awful 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTH 1 75 

creatures which people the realms of the unknown; hut 
when ignorance dies and we know good, all is for good, 
when brighter light and fuller revelation explain the 
mystery and solve the problem, then because darkness 
is no more, t lie hobgoblins disappear even from imagina- 
tion, and in theliffhtall will know that there is nothing 
to fear. When in the darkness you areafraid of every- 
thing, even of your own shadow, and often of that most 
of all. WhenEmanuel Swedenborgin the last century, 
and Dante centuries before saw into the hells and told 
of states almost too awful to be depicted, they did not 
describe what did not exist, but Dante, who had been 
educated in Roman Catholicism and had therefore been 
taught that there was an endless hell for those-who 
died in mortal sin, and Swedenborg. who had been 
brought up in the Lutheran faith and taught that those 
who died out of Christ would be damned forever, could 
only modify their ideas of everlasting torment, they 
could not see far enough beyond the hells into t ho 
heavens, which all must at length reach. Anyone 
standing at a point were he can see but a little way 
before him can describe only what is not very far ahead 
and is apt to imagine there is a boundary line, a horizon, 
and nothing beyond it. A child standing upon the 
shore, with a field-glass, looking across the water 
thinks there is nothing beyond the water — it is all 
water and nothing but water in that direction to this 
>n. But tho>e who have been overseas have found 
land on the other side. You can not show the distant 
d to the child on the shore; you cannot, even if 
voir is excellent, stand on the Pacific slope and 

1 »ok across the water, to the Sandwich islands, ( !hi 



170 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC 

Japan or any land whatever, but when travelers have 
been across the water and found land, and our comes 
back to tell the tale, then you accept a revelation from 
the land invisible; there is water indeed but then 
land beyond the water. This is but a poor and faint 
illustration of the heavens beyond the hells, of the par 
adise beyond the purgatories, of the good beyond the 
evil, of the light beyond the darkness. 

Looking at matters from your earthly standpoint, 
unless spiritually endowed and enlightened, or in com- 
munion with those who ha you 
know of nothing more than that which follows di- 
rectly upon your pi< r a few short 
yeans in the carl lily body you encounter death and 
the grave, and there is the end of life to physi 
sight or materia] perception. But there are tl 
who can see beyond, and where you declare death 
they declare fullness of life; where you i de- 
struction they declare resurrection and reconstruc- 
tion. Siva, among the Brahmins, is " 1 " only 
to the ignorant, the same divinity is both I) 
and Reproducer to the enlightened. 

The religious systems of the world must conn 
go, rise and set, wax and wane, and all that will re- 
main forever is man's perception of absolute truth, 
and this will be perpetually increasing. 

We have already alluded to the worship of the 
lower creation — to the worship of the dark, hiatal 
and belligerent forces of nature, which led to 
rifices of the most fearful character — and" we think 
we have accounted for it naturally, that man being 
on a material plane, and surrounded with forces he 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 177 

could not control, and seeing no further than his 
immediate environment, worshiped the physical force 

which was superior to his own ; and there arc mil- 
lions of people today, who, with all their boasted 
intelligence, scientific ability and literary acumen, never 
advance further than savages, in a spiritual direction, 
thus they only perceive what seems very unjust and 
cruel in natural phenomena, 

Why do the most illumined minds refuse to how 
before the blind force which is the substitute for God 
among atheists and materialists? Why do they not 
acknowledge that supreme law or infinite force, a vague 
abstraction in the universe, and declare that is all we 
can know about causation? Why do they not bow 
down and worship the blind "necessity" of modern 
materialism \ 

AYe have only one answer; that ideal "force" is 
not as good as we are and we will not worship our 
inferior, we will not bow to the materialists' substitute 
for God, because it is an image of clay inferior to the 
substance of which we ourselves are made. 

We claim to have some affection, some intelligence, 
some mercy, some sense of justice, but a blind, unintel- 

nt force, a mere abstraction, a something not our- 
not endowed with any intelligence, wisdom, love 

-ense of justice, is infinitely our inferior, and that 
which is our inferior calls for our contempt not our 
adoration. 

instead of believing that the universe is guided by 

ie unknowable power that brings multitudes into 
nocks them with noble powers and wonder- 
ful endowments, cherishes in their bi the highest 
12 



178 SFnUTUAL THERAPBUTO 

hopes and loftiest sentiments, and then allows a< 
wheel to run over their body, or some other accident to 

cause their death, and that is the end of them; inst 
of believing in a power whir glorious life and 

then allows it to be d I by the blundcrir 

drunken cab-driver, or a careless ei . instead oi 

bowing before a power thai intelligence, h( 

aspiration, all that constitutes noblest manhood and 
womanhood, and then destroys these attributes in 
a moment by a falling tile or by a missile hurled at 
your head by a careless boy, we prefer to 
in an intelligent, controlling power that regards the 
material body as the m< ternal and superficial 

vesture of man, andsees the manhimseli fely 

alive, forever in spirit. 

II" I am a brute, I naturally worship a and 

stronger brute than myself; if I am merely an animal, I 
naturally worship a larger and Stronger animal than 
myself, and it' I am a human being, with no other in- 
stincts cultivated, no other powers developed than 
those 1 share in common with the lower creation,] 
naturally bow to those of the lov ition, who hi 

attributes such as mine but more powerfully deveh ped 
than mine. And thus it is only natural that as lonj 
man is on the material plane of thought and affection, 
and does not recognize anything more than Ins material 
nature, he will invent a material substitul rod, 

which substitute is the direct result of the mammon 
worship of this age, a remote result of the ignorant 
animality of savage times. There is fully as much 
animality and brutality and more treachery in the 
respectable man of business, who does not care how 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 170 

many wives and children he ruins, how many beads of 
families he dooms to misery, and perhaps suicide by 
his tricks in trade, misrepresentations and gambling 
speculations, than in the panther or the wol,'. We 
aid rather be in the clutches of a tiger than in those 
of a man who lives for self and money only ; we would 
rather trust to the tender mercies of the wild beasts of 
the forest than to those of a creature who has more 
intellect but uses that intellect solely for personal ag- 
grandizement, recognizing nothing beyond buying and 
selling, eating, drinking and getting gain. As long as 
this worship of mammon continues, and to make a for- 
tune is the supreme object of life, so long as education 
has for its watchword, competition, and your most ap- 
proved mottoes: are look out for yourselves, take care of 
number one, there can be no spiritual revelation to sat- 
isfy the highest needs of human nature, there can be no 
sunshine visible in which we can bask with delight. If 
the air is filled with noxious exhalations and the smoke 
from a thousand factory chimneys. Man must get rid of 
the mist and smoke that is continually enveloping him. 
When he is no longer selfish nor brutal, then he will be 
able to accept a glorious revelation from the spiritual 
universe, which is absolutely necessary to happiness 
and a true understanding of the plan of the univers 

We are ready to make the assertion, extravagant 
though it may appear to many, that we know people 
who have absolutely discovered God. But if they have 

overed God, have they met a person and had aper- 

il interview with an omnipotent spirit in the guise 
of man who proclaimed his deity by name? We an 

r they have beheld the divine presence with the i 



180 sriBrruAL thebapeuth 

of the soul; they have become spiritual to the extent 
of entering into conscious relation with the divine 
spirit made known to them in the innern sof 

their being. "Blessed are the pure in heart for they 
shall soo God." A great many people quibble at that 
beatitude, many want to know what it means to 
God. According to the statement itself no one can 
know what it m< ans to " see ( Jod " until perfectly | 
in heart, therefore until they are in thai condil 
they have no means of either proving or dispro^ 

the statement. The Bight of God to the pure in h< 
is the full perception that everything is good and 

the best, that all life will turnout well and all r< 
lead at length to the great terminus of til 
city, that all boats will land at length upon tin 

of eternal happiness. By perceiving God we mean per- 
ceiving spiritual truth, love, wisdom, : nd right 
eousness; perceiving perfect justice in the order of the 

universe. And when we have found divine just ice ru 
and governing all we do not trouble ourselves as to 
whether Deity lias or has not an anthropomorphic form; 
when we have found divine wisdom, love a ml truth we do 
not care to ask how love, wisdom and truth are presented 
outwardlv to sense or intellect, we are satisfied with 
the knowledge of the soul, with the perception of the 
interior nature. 

For all discussions in theology concering God's 
personality or impersonality we shall care less than for 
the changing sands on the sea shore. It does not mat- 
ter whether we can decide as to the personality or 
impersonality ot God. There are a great many things 
beyond our intellectual range, even beyond our moral 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC8, 181 

preception, and there are a greal many mysteries in 
the universe that are beyond us which we do not need 

to settle. 

But it' we have found enough to content our souls 

in truth, if we have found enough to still the wild 
heating of our rebellious, sorrowing hearts, to demon- 
strate life immortal where we have hitherto found 
death, and the victory of truth where hitherto we 
imagined the victory of the grave; if we can stand by 
the side of a corpse and yet see a resurrected be 
promoted to a higher state of intelligent existence, if 
we can shed the tear of sympathy with the mourner 
who is bereaved of an earthly presence and yet he 
so convinced that the so-called dead are alive and with 
us, that the tears which flow through ignorance we 
can wipe away; if we can bring wisdom's consolation 
to the sad heart, if we have the certainty that though 
every earthly prop be destroyed, and every earthly 
opportunity denied, though we have lived our lives 
from the ordinary standpoint in vain, labored and 
toiled for naught, that there is in the spiritual unive 
a crown, a reward, a glorious result for our even* un- 
dertaking that can not be observed from earth's plane 
of observation, then we have found the God we all 
need to find, for we have found infinite goodness: Infinite 
d, is "God" which is an old saxon word meaning the 

od One or the All Good. God then becon r ord 

no longer meaningless upon our lips. All human specu- 
lations concerning God and the life beyond must event- 
ually pass away, all outward forms and ceremonies 

gion will pass away, but the essence of religion 
will never pass away. Religion may cast aside its 



182 SPIRITUAL THEBAPEUTH 

outward dress, its pagodas, temples, and 

churches may all be looked upon some day as things 
of the past and no longer needed; but supposing the 
outward churchdoescometoanend, how will it come to 
an end! By growth. The church will grow so large 
it will cover the earth, and when the whole earth is a 
temple, then nobody will need a smaller temple. When 
the temple was small li stood on a little spot of ground, 
and people could easily tell you how large it was ; but 
when the whole earth becomes holy^you can n< 
wcai' your shoes anywhere if you bave to remove them 
when you tread on holy ground. 

We believe in the extension of holy ground, in the 
enlarging of consecrated territory bo thai we can lind 
God everywhere. 

Where did Jacob find holy ground i < >ut in the wil- 
derness where he had bu1 a stone for his pillow. Tl 
had beennoriteof consecration, no house of worship 
was buil! there, but be was constrained to remove the 
shoes from his feet for the place whereon he stood 
holy ground. Where did ft find ho und, 

whej-e did he see the phenomenon of the burning bushl 
There was no temple built by human hands and dedi- 
cated to the Most Elighwherehe received the dn 
message, he was in the solitary unconsecrated desert. 

Where did Jesus tell the woman of Samaria that 
God should be worshiped i It was not necessary to 
approach a holy mountain, as the Samaritans thought, 
with their ruined temple on its summit; it was not 
necessarv to enter Jerusalem with its temple of unpar- 
alleled magnificence or pause within its walls, for God is 
everywhere. Spirit and truth are the only two essential 
words used in connection with his worship. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIi 183 

In the future the religious instinct will be entirely 
disconnected from fear, from all harsh conceptions of 
Deity and moral obligation ; the very word obligatory 
will be removed from the thought of religion and God 
will be worshiped in perfect freedom. 

But some may still ask how can perfect freedom be 
reconciled with religion or religio, which means bind- 
ing I Can we be religious — completely bound — and \ el 
enjoy perfect freedom? Yes, for you can serve youi 
father and mother from pure love, you do not feai 
them at all, if you love them perfectly. The youngest 
child can know what it is to feel: father would never 
punish me, nor would mother; but when they tell me 
what to do I do it because I love them, and because I 
love them I choose to please them. 

The only worship God can care for is the kind of 
worship we have just mentioned, any other is craven, 
and usually selfish. When worship i% offered to God 
for the sake of receiving something in return, is not 
the worshiper like a child who obeys his parents not 
from love, but because if he is a good child he may 
a toy or some sweetmeats, such worship is not religion. 
There are people who are so afraid of God they wor- 
ship in order to escape hell. Congregations in times of 
revival are thrown into hysteria at the thought of 
endless perdition, and then they are said to receive the 
spirit, having prayed for the holy spirit because they 
very naturally did not wish to drop into fire and 
be burned forever. There is no religion in such exper- 
iences. Where true religion appears is where people 
worship lovingly and truly the eternal God, from grati- 
tude to the God who blesses them : where I heir hearts 



184 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 

are full of gratitude to the Eternal Fount of all, and 
they love the Eternal with all their hearts, with all 
their souls, with all their minds and with all their 
strength, Tear is gone, dread is removed from such 
forever. 

True religion has nothing hut love in it. Theonly 
reason why the men and women of the future will wor- 
ship will be because they love the EternaL No 1 
God wants nothing, ami a- q no! possibly do God 

a favor, a<l<l to his glory or bestow one fraction of 

honor upon t In ■rnallv pos- 

. religion resol If into pract ical philanthropy : 

and love for the Eternal takes the form of love for all his 
children. Religion, rising in glorious light from its 
chrysalis, transformed into a butterfly, b< philan- 

thropy, humanitarian ism. When we support religious 
services in days to come we shall know that otl i 

helped )>y them, and that I .raliy benefit Society j 

we shall do whatever we can to help our brethren to a 
higher and n<>l>l< r life. There is a divine utilitarianism 
which recognizes tin 1 usefulness of whatsoever tend 
promote the spiritual nature, and this will be the im- 
petus to all religious observance in day- to come. 
Nothing is more important than that doubting and 
nervous persons, in particular, Bhould he helped \< 
spiritual sight of divine goodness, and ! t<> realize 

the truth of immortality. Pains, suffering and d:>e. 
of every name proceed from doubt, fear and sorrow, 
and to remove these deadly enemies of health and hap- 
piness is to employ the only effective measures t<> over- 
come sickness and insanity. 



LESSON X. 



HOW CAN WE EXPLAIN MIRACLES SCIENTIFICALLY, A XI) 
ACCOMPLISH WONDERS APPARENTLY TRANSCENDING THE 

OPERATION OF NATURAL LAW ? 

QUESTIONS similar to the above having poured 
in upon us from every direction, we have felt 
it desirable to devote a special chapter in this work 
to an elucidation, as far as possible, of a problem, 
the very nature of which appears at first sight to 
challenge the ability of even the ablest intellect. But 
when we look carefully at the proposition, and con- 
sider thoughtfully the nature of the inquiry, we shall 
perceive that no so-called miracle has ever claimed to 
be an interference with immutable law; but only an 
exhibition of spiritual power overcoming the ordinary 
limitations assigned by human infirmity to the oper- 
ation of a law, the scope of which so far transcends 
ordinary comprehension and discovery as to remove 
it as completely from the realm of general observa- 
tion, as the rings belting the planet Saturn are un- 
revealed to unassisted mortal eyesight, but stand oul 
in vivid distinctness before the average eye when as- 
sisted by a telescope. 

Spiritual science is no more at variance with physi- 
cal science than telescopes arc at war with ey rit- 
ual perception enables us to see far beyond the limits 

185 



ISO SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK 

of average observation, thus the only contention tl • 
can possibly be between spiritual science and ph\ 
is on the score of unwarrantable negative assumption 
on the part of many |>h It was alwa 

of Darwin that the most conspicu 
greatnes his determination to publish his dis 

eries, and not antagonize in a controversial spirit the 
opinions of those who e n<»t blessed with the 

knowledge which had fallen to his share. Lei 08 all 
emulate Darwin in tbi be truly thankful for 

all the positive information i derive from the 

most external source, and at the same time be i 
ready and desirous to peer more deeply than the outer 

Senses Can into the realm of spiritual which i 

encompasses US, and of which we are now and I 
denizens. 

NO one can be justified in supposing i ! 
(went no matter how remarkable is due t<> a suspen 
of law, 1)1 it is not law in finitely beyond our acquaintance 
with it, we consider the time Iready come lor a 

clear forcible exposition of the triumphs of mind o 
matter, not as a contribution to the literature of < 
matic theology or speculative philosophy, hut of science* 
itself. Marie Corelli, a deservedly popular author 
in a most fascinating work which has had a very h 
sale already, J // '>. has without 

question, in her dissertation upon the nature* and ap- 
plication of electricity, don.* a good deal to prepare 
the public mind, which reads science in the form of 
romance, gladly for yet more explicit and startling dis- 
closures which are to follow; her method of dealing 
with the occult forces is far in advance <>f Mr. Sinnett's 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 187 

in his theosophical novels Karma and United^ for 
while Sinnett deals almost exclusively when discours 

OP 

of phenomenal results, with the wonderful and almost 
the terrible, Marie Corelli shows how in her own c 
especially (if her narrative is to be considered a 
chapter from her own autobiography) the wonderful 
knowledge of the noble hero of the tale Hdiobas is 
directed entirely to three most important ends : spirit- 
ual development, mental improvement and physical well 
being. In the same book a chapter devoted to the Electric 
. explains very reasonably how Peter was able to 
walk on the sea while faith upheld him, but when he felt 
hinjself sinking, it was at a timewhenfear overcame him, 
and fear disturbs electrical currents and renders dar. 
imminent. Other wonderful doings of the Apostles and 
the strange natural phenomena mentioned frequently in 
connection with telling episodes in the life of Jesus are 
similarly explained, Le. the electrical theory is applied 
throughout audit works well, especially as human > 
tricity is never confounded with mineral, vegetable or 
animal electricity and it has always appeared to us that 
to attribute human force to animal magnetism or to 
call it by that name is to insult manhood and woman- 
hood by unduly extolling the animal emanations. Man 
has an animal nature which links him physically with 
the lower orders of existence, but'this lower natun 
totally unable to accomplish those super-animal results 
w r hich can spring alone from the operation of altogether 
higher capabilities. With persons who refuse to apply 
the scientific method of experiment or w tis- 

fied with physical limitations of the m<>st arbitrary 
character that they seek no spiritual light, also with 



188 SPIRITUAL THKRAfEl TICS. 

those who ignorantly and pugilist ically denounce what- 
ever is above their crude physical perception, we refuse 
to enter into controversy, such people will throw down 
a treatise on spiritual themes with a contemptuous 
sneer or they will attack vigorously what they fail to 
understand in a manner which positively compliments 
the work they fondly imagine they demolish, as they 
only succeed in advertising publicly their own shallow 
irascibility and overweening self-conceit. To those ;ii<>ne 
who are in search of light, who are dissatisfied alike 
with theologic and materialist ic husks, who can neither 
believe in antiquated Bupernaturalism nor be eon; 

with fro/en materalisin, should teachers and hea 
appeal, we only waste time in seeking to make 
proselytes; hungering and thirsty children of the 
Eternal, our needy brethern and 3 who are 

seeking light, health and peace, and who are will- 
ing to make material saerifie. uiv higher hi. 
ings than can possibly flow through the channels of 
the senses, are the only persons to whole \ illum- 
ination can come, or by whom it will he welcomed, 
and to these is now being vouchsafed an interpretation 
and exposition of spiritual truth far beyond any light 
previously thrown upon life, its origin, nature and d 
tiny, and the power of man to control the outward ele- 
ments and most certainly his own body. We acknowl- 
edge without qualification an Infinite Supreme Power 
of perfect Love and Wisdom, and to the Infinite Being 
alone will we submit, but while we are absolutely cer- 
tain that God is the one infinite truth in being, we do 
not allow that we as men and women are unable to so 
utilize and manifest divine power as to exhibit godlike 



sriKHTAL THERAPEUTK L89 

qualities even on earth. There is a passage in the 
Psalms, which exactly stales our position: "All the 
whole heaven is the Lord's, the earth bath he given to 
the children of men," which signifies that while God 

is supreme in the universe as the life and soul of all, 
man has it in his power to subdue the earth, and there- 
fore we do not raiseany objection to the teachings of 
theosophists and transcendentalists who declare that 
man has such resources within himself that ultimately 
he can and will control the raying elements and show 
himself master of the whole earth. Swedenborg's doc- 
trine that man lives from God but appears to live from 
himself is perfectly reasonable, and the necessity of 
man's appearing to live from himself while in reality 
he lives from God, is also made quite clear in the writings 
of this greatest of modern seers. Now as we have no 
intention of intrenching, in this lesson, on the views of 
Trinitarians versus Unitarians with regard to the deity 
or divinity of the personal Christ, we shall bring forward 
only such instances from the Xew Testament as are 
clearly intended to refer to the exercise of a spiritual 
power common to all mankind, but like every gift or 
talent, susceptible to cultivation and needing careful 
culture for its expansion. 

It is a very great mistake to suppose that spiritual 
s are so miraculous that they are the possession of 
a privileged few who have done nothing to merit them, 
while all others must remain hopelessly destitute of such 
endowments, however much they may desire to posfi 
and use them. The manifestation s)i' the Spirit is given 
to everyone without exception, bul to ail the sa 
is not given, and where we often fail is in seeking to 



190 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

obtain what we have not when it would be wisdom on 
our part to cultivate what we have. A formal, routine 
system of school discipline is fatal to normal education, 
as all children are not adapted to the same pursuits, but 
no child, with proper care and training, need become 
or remain a dunce, an idiot or an invalid. Abnormal, 
unhealthy, unlovely conditions are unnatural. All 
works on pathology freely admit this. Then do not 
fall into the errorof supposing that any one exists who 
has not some vocation, and who can not, by judicious 
treatment, be brought intoa state of manifesto d health 
and harmony. Jesus chose his immediate follow 
from all ranks and stations. Previous to their call to 
follow him some had been fishermen, but others had 
belonged to the medical profession, and sal at the 
receipt of custom. They continued, in some instai 
at least, to ply their vocations after joining the apos- 
tolic band, as Paul continued his trade as a tent maker 
after the greatest orations had fallen from his lips. 

Concentration of mind on a given object is the open 
door to success ami without it genuine and stable suc- 
cess is impossible in any direction. Prayer and Faith 
must ever go together, as aspiration without confidence 
is well nigh useless, and belief without an endeavor to 
ascend to a higher interior realm is practically futile. 
We can pray without ceasing by unceasingly desiring 
to' accomplish a definite result, we can continually ex- 
ercise faith by refusing to allow our thoughts to he 
diverted even for an instant from the good toward 
which we unceasingly aspire, and we can truly fast or 
abstain by so subduing the lower to the higher nature 
that reason is lord over passion, while reason in its turn 



SPIRITUAL THERAPBUTK \\)\ 

is rendered subject to the moral sense. These thi 
necessities, faith, prayer and fasting can be so explained 
as to prove to every intelligent and fair-minded student 
that the words of Jesus, as recorded by theevangelu 
are in exact accordance with demonstrable fact, there- 
fore scholarly orsciolistic criticisms matter nothing, for 
while the scholar questions and the sciolist impudently 
denies the authenticity of the gospel tale the enlight- 
ened spiritual scientist assumes a position Ear in advai 
of historical controversy, a position which is in fact, 
utterly impregnable, for to those who understand the 
law governing the production of marvelous phenomena 
the recorded facts themselves are taken as illustrations 
of the consequences attendant upon a certain coura 
action and line of development, therefore history is <>t 
quite secondary importance so far as it refers to time 
and place. It matters not whether persons believed to be 
dead were raised to life in Palestine 1800 or m Egypt 
18,000 years ago, the question is, can the so-called dead 
be raised at all, is there a law which renders their 
resuccitation possible? History furnishes us with 
startling accounts of the prevalence of a power in the 
world confined however to exceptional individuals able 
t<> restore to physical health and vigor those pronounced 
dead by all other testimony than that of far-se 
intelligence consciously ]^osscss(m1 by those a 1 
whose lives have rendered them superior to every 
ordinary limitation of mortality Leprosy is instanced 

being cured by remarkable men in accordance with 
and unalterable conditions, and when we 
remember thai "men of like paa with oui 

omplished these marvelous >f spiritual prov 



192 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

no claim whatever being* made that they were wrought 
only by Jesus, indeed, the exact opposite being posi- 
tively stated in the Bible, we can afford to dismiss 
without attention the silly bombast of those rabid icon- 
oclasts, who think they can wipe out by their absurd 
negations man's confidence in what he can prove for 
himself independent of history, if he only forms the 
acquaintance of a great spiritual truth and harmon 
his conduct with his understanding of it. 

One of the most striking illustrations of spiritual 
agency overcoming what has been universally termed 
incurable disease, is the story of Elisha directing Xaa- 
man, the Syrian, to the mystical Jordan in wh 
cleansing streams every trace of leprosy was washed 
away. Now Elisha stood in the attitude of a guide, a 
teacher, a director, but he was in no sense a mesmerist, 
neither did he attribute Naaman's recovery to any 
potency inhering in his personality. Elisha wasa prophet 
and the successor of a prophet. Bis fitness to take 
Elijah's place after the hitter's translation was deter- 
mined altogether by his clear-sightedness. Elijah saj 
Elisha, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall 
be evidence to you that my mantle has fallen u\;m 
you, but if you do not see me the hard thing you 1. 
asked can not be accomplished. Here at the outset we 
have presented to us a correct view of what Christains 
might call a/postolic succession. Elisha had been both 
servant, student and companion to Elijah, for a long 
time, during which period innumerable opportunities 
had been afforded him of attaining the high rank of 
prophet or seer which signifies one in whom the power 
of insight into spiritual things is coupled with the abil- 



SPIRITUAL THKRAPEDTIi [93 

it \- to proclaim truth, and load others Into paths of 
wisdom. Elisha had so far profited by his disci pleship 
to Elijah, as to have developed his spiritual perception 

the point of ability to see and describe what was 
occurring on another plane than that of sense, he proves 
by this that his advantages have been improved, and 
that he is,therefore, ready to commence his journey asa 
witness to truth against every form of error and idol- 
atry, and he testiiies to the divinity of his mission 
by hlessing the city into which he first enters, chang- 
bitterand unwholesome waters into pure and sweet 
If we could pause to linger over the incidents in 
Elisha's ministry, w r e could, we think, convince you 
that his baldness was but typical of the absence 
of material pomp, authority and show which ever 

ompanies the highest type of spiritual worker. 
The children of the city who ridiculed him were those, 
(plentiful in every age and land) who deem exter- 
nals all important and ridicule every truth, and all 
who proclaim it unless it is rendered outwardly attract- 
ive and presented with the pomp and display ever 
characterizing civil and ecclesiastical, imperialistic des- 
potism. The children eaten by bears in theold figura- 

e story to be found in the Book of Kin- ike 

multitudes in Europe and America to-day who in i 

e of slighting the only agent of redemption, the 

spiritual teaching which bids them forego externals and 

cultivate the spirit, find themselves devoured by the she- 

of the woods which Swedenborg so aptly 

is human affection tor earthly and dan 

thing 

Elisha represents a man of unswerving nty, 

13 



194 SPIRITUAL THEKAPKITICS. 

and loyalty to principle and conviction, lie therefore 
claims nothing for himself, and stands to the afflicted 
Naaman as a wise and helpful teacher and he tells this 
great Syrian captain to bathe seven times in the river 
Jordan. The name Jordan means a stream flowing 
from above, and therefore refers to those spiritual 
blessings which are obtainable only when we divest 
ourselves of confidence in material things, and permit 
the cleansing and illuminating grace of spirit to re- 
move from us all earthly defilements. Naaman, justly 
proud of the beautiful situation of the city of Damas- 
cus, and attached to the broad flowing rivers Abana 
and Pharphar, desires to wash in them and be cleans 
but following the line of correspondence we shall 
that these rivers represented external means of 
lief to apply to which in case of leproSj was mani- 
festly absurd, as Oriental medicine and surgery had 

proved hopelessly impotent to relieve that ten 
disorder. Now, as no miracle can possibly be per- 
formed except in accordance with universal law. Ell 
could only point Naaman to the fount of healing, he 

could not heal him by any act of personal sovereignty 
or favor, nor in consideration of a proffered reward. 
All of you, who are seeking to excel in blessing oth< 
remember always that though you can open doors 
and windows, and let in sunshine, you cannot ci« 
it, even though you can assist others into the light, 
persuading and directing them by every measure of 
persuasive force, you can not compel any one to avail 
him or herself of the means of salvation. Jesus. 
are told, could do no mighty works in certain phi 
because of the obstinate infidelity of the people, bis 



SPIRITUAL THERAWSUTK I9g 

disciples were directed to leave a sinful, sensual citv, 
shaking its very dust from their sandals. No work 
of art has ever been more admired, or portrayed 
deeper pathos than Christ weeping over Jerusalem, 
mourning because the children of Jerusalem would 
not avail themselves of the only means which could 
possibly save them from degradation and dish 
The great and leading error in modern thought is 
precisely the error of olden times. Call it the will 
of God, or maintain if you please that it is the oper- 
ation of a blind law of necessity (though the latter 
position is insane), there is unmistakably a law in 
the universe which governs and regulates conditions 
so arbitrarily that no one's wishes are respected in 
any case more than were Naaman's preferences for 
the waters of Damascus. 

If the Jordan, or what it corresponded to, posse 
healing virtue,then a prophet could point out the method 
whereby that regenerative force could be applied to the 
cure of an otherwise incurable disorder, and not only t he 
prophet but the captain's servants and friends could 
bring argument and moral suasion to bear to induce the 
suffering ruler to enter and bathe in the healing stream, 
but that was the extent of their united power. The folly 
of those who claim that spiritual scientists or metaphys- 
ical practitioners ignore the law of nature, or that tl; 
of any name who acknowledge the power of spirit 
beyond that of "force" or "matter" believe absurdly 
that God changes or the universal order is i I by 

prayer or any human effort, is commensurate only with 
their ignorance, and were it not for the almost invinci- 
ble strength of blind prejudice it would be impossible 



190 SPIRITUAL TIIERAPErTT' 

for the merest tyro in logic, or a child who comprehends 
the ordinary use of language to fail to understand thai 
called miracles are not in the sligl i lant 

with the immutable law and orderof the uni verse, recog- 
nized by materialists as a blind foroe,but bytheists as the 
unvarying expression of divine intelligence. Never* 
under any conceivable circumstai and t w<> 

make other than four, never can oaks be raised except 
fromacorns, never can one type be changed into another 
in the whole economy of nature, hut nature's resoui 
are so little known that he ifl guilty of insane bomb 
who undertakes in this age of electrical appliance 
deny that anything may not be accomplished which 
which does not Involve a reversal of the orderof nature, 
or state a mathematical impossibility. One can never 
be three or seven, hut at the same time the single ray of 
white light can be made manifest in three primary 
colors and seven prismatic hues and countless tints and 
shades, thus the essential life of the universe is one life, 
but its expression may be both three fold, seven fold 
and multiform. When in the future direct telegraphic 
communication is established between this earth and 
the planet Mars, it will be by means of an electrical 
tern as natural as the overland telegraph or the sub-marine 
cable. What marvelous intellectual prodigies tb< 
men are who conceive the idea of modern applianc 
the Canadian Pacific Railroad running as it does through 
a territory presenting at first sight utterly insurmount- 
able barriers to the skill of the engineer, is a solid 
working testimony to the fact of mind surmounting any 
and every material barrier as it unfolds to perceive the 
method of such mastery. 



SPIRITUAL TllKKAlM-'.rn. [97 

Now shall one accept the Brooklyn bridge and 

prospectively the tunnel under the English channel 
uniting France and England and laugh tosooro predic- 
tions of further conquests over earth and tides S Does 
not the wise man speak very cautiously and with infin- 
ite reserve concerning the wildest dreams of future 
human attainment I all who think and observe must con- 
clude that as intelligence unfolds things formerly con- 
sidered utterly beyond the reach of possibility aswel 
probability actually will occur. Now toapply this pre< 

zoning to spiritual attainments we declare thai what 
is meant by the three-fold command, believe, pray, I 
is that through the exercise of supreme confidence in 
spirit, coupled with sincere and constant aspiration and 
a complete subjection of the lower appetites to the higher 
promptings to the extent that transmutation is accom- 
plished, wonders of healing can be wrought, truth can 
he stated and applied with reference to the entire 
economy of man's finite expression in external form, 
equaling if not excelling the sublimest works performed 
in ancient Galilee. The Esoteric Magazine^ published in 
Boston, constantly publishes very instructive articles 
giving practical directions in this line, all tending t<> 
prove the immutability of divine law and the certainty 
of success in spiritual directions if the affections are 
ned from earth and centered in the thi the 

spirit. The question of will is one that is continually 
curring and is a subject upon which more misapprehen- 
sion prevails than perhaps any other. Mis. Eddy and 
those calling themselves Christian scientists in general, 
have much to say against the exereise of personal will. 
and Health contains some particularly strong 



198 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

condemnations of mesmerism, but after all, you will 
note that Mrs. Eddy's particular aversion is malicious 
mesmerism. Now all mesmeric operation is no more 
necessarily malicious than all speech is malicious. If 
Mrs. Eddy or any one else lias discovered malpractice 
among her students and sees a danger resulting from 
the views entertained by some, she is conscientiously and 
humanely fulfilling her duty by calling attention to 
erroneous beliefs and pracl ic< 8, but wholesale condemna- 
tion of what is usually classed as mesmerism is unwise 
as she herself admit sit can either kill or cure. Its cura- 
tive proprieties are as serviceable as the constructive 
action of electricity, while iis destructive action may he 
likened to the electric Maine, striking and demolishing 
a building' or blasting a handsome 1 1 1 

Personal will must he subdued to universal divine 
will, or it runs riot and proves itself an outlaw, while 
all Selfish abuses of psychology inevitably lead to the 
misery alike of those who operate and those who are 
operated upon. Hypnotism, now so fashionable, is not 
a desirable form of psychology, as the hypnotic state 
is one of subjective insensibility, but whenever experi- 
ments are successfully proven in such directions, it is 
because the one who entrances is more fully in the light 
than the one entranced. Modern Spiritualism during 
the past four decades has amply illustrated how much 
good and evil can emanate apparently from the same 
source. Pvschologists and Spiritualists will always be 
in danger till they learn that subjection to the higher 
is the only safeguard against control by the lower. 
Our paramount resolve must ever be to educate, not 
coerce, to unite ourselves lovingly, willingly, com- 



SPlKTTt'AL TIIKRAIMXT \\\\\ 

pletely with whatever appeals to us as highest and 
divinest in the universe. We can not sneered as rebels 
forever militating against universal order; we can no1 
turn the eternal current of infinite energy out of its 
course because we, like straws or tiny boat3, are strug- 
o float or row against the stream. If, as Mat- 
thew Arnold said, there is a stream of tendency ever 
making for righteousness, is it not wisdom on the pari 

;il to seek to move in and witli tin's glorious current, 
not to strive against it \ The prayer of Jesus, i% Father, 
not my will, but thine be done," is the very essence 
pf profound wisdom, for what man is there however 
great, who can control the Pleiades or Orion to borrow 
appropriate similes from the book of Job? He is a 
lunatic, mad with pride, staggering through the intoxi- 
cation of vanity, who can gaze at the matchless order 
of the universe and say with the foolish ones, "There 
is no God." The utter puerility of atheism or blank 
materialism is so contemptible as to make cvrvy genuine 
rationalist pray that modern infidels may learn wisdom 
from one of their own favorite text-books, Thomas 
Paine's "Age of Reason," in which that celebrated deist 
atheism in its true light and atheism or 

\ty with a ghost, professed by some utterly illogical 
spiritualists, is the most hopelessly chaotic system ever 

sented to any public. 

Now listen to the reasoning of some spiritualists 
who are utterly unwilling to affirm the being of Deity. 
They declare most reasonably that intellij 
through force upon matter. This explanation of the 
phenomena of existence can scarcely be improved upon, 
but it at once strikes the reflective mind that 



200 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

manifestation of intelligence through matter is the 
pression of intelligence at least commensurate with 
such expression. Now while there are many forms of 
existence below man, displaying far less intelligei 
than man, man is utterly unable to create. There is a 
law he can not set aside, immutably fixed byan intelli- 
gence far superior to his own. Now this law proves 
God, t. *., Supreme Intelligence, as n<> law can < 
save as it is a manifestal ion of mind, the being of God 
is axiomatically proven through this universal law, and 
the fact that man can discover, obey or rebel against 
this law but can not possibly change it, i^ to the thinker, 
proof direct of an infinite and unchangeable intelli- 
gence, for law is unknown among nan Baveasi! is the 
result and embodiment of intell It would he 

just as reasonable to argue that a stale was governed 
by law and then deny the existence of any human will 
back of that law producing and enforcing it, as to deny 
the sovereignty of Infinite Will, Eternal Spirit. Now 
the renunciation of our human will is not required of 
us. Our will is a talent to be used not renounced. The 
true attitude of the human will is an intelligent acqui- 
escence with the divine will, a perfect surrender of 
pride and rebellion, and a loving, harmonious union 
with the Infinite. 

In union is strength, in disunion is impotence. 
Houses divided against themselves cannot stand, and it 
is because men and women are continually warring 
against each other, that they are weak, sick and gener- 
ally wretched and unsuccessful. To gain perfect power 
over the lower self, and to become strong enough to 
resist all defiant elements, to live above the reach of 



srii;rn ai. niKKAiM-.ri i L > ( »1 

\ is to accomplish a conscious voluntary union 
with the Infinite Will. Now this union with the divine 
is diametrically opposed to the relinquishment of free- 
dom. Our freedom is never so great, never so dearly 
prized as when with an absolutely free spirit, in peri 
liberty we elect to walk in paths of righteousness and 
peace. To love the divine law, to obey it from love, to 
apprehend something of its perfect wisdom, and to 
choose the path of wisdom and deliberately walk there- 
in, is to follow the only course which intuition and 
common-sense recommend alike. Nowifany of yon feel 
1, lonely, desolate, and you turn in thought to 
the Infinite, your cares will be dismissed, your burdens 
lifted, your sorrows assuaged, while hope will immedi- 
ately resume the place left vacant by despair. The 
ks which Jesus said should be performed by 
disciples, may be understood in two ways : 1st, The 
ious meaning is that what had hitherto been confined 
to a very circumscribed area should at length cover 
the globe; and 2d, as the minds of men expand, they 
v becoming ready for greater marvels than would 
have been of any use before. No matter how much a 
her knows, instruction must ever keep pace with 
the comprehension of the scholars; because a learned 
professor can solve an intricate problem in the higher 
mathematics, does not prove that any among his class 
prepared for its solution before them, and were it 
Solved in their presence, it would be practically un- 
lor all save the professor. If a divine voice 
iks and but a few can hear what it utters, the mul- 
Je may confound the sound with ordinary thunder, 
the fault is not with the voice that speaks in thrilling 



202 SPIRITUAL THERAPFXTICS. 

tones of perfect distinctness, but with the deaf ears of 
the auditors. The voice of truth is ever speaking, but as 
the world only gradually advances to a point w 1 
many can interpret the voice of truth or behold 
its form, the voice seems to be ever drawing nearer and 
speaking more clearly to men, the voice speaks as it 
always spoke, the light shines as it always shone, the 
processes of nature are continued as they always 
were, but the hearing ear, the seeing eye, and truly 
understanding heart are only by continuous and 
apparently slow processes of growth unfolded to per- 
ceive and understand these "mysteries." Dr. Jai 
Martineau, one of the most deeply spiritual minds in 
the Unitarian denomination introduced a beautiful 
canticle into his Ten $ Puhlic Worship, com- 

mencing with the words: "Blessed be the Lord God of 
ages, who ever delighteth to draw more nigh. In the 
morning of the world he appeareth from afar, in the 
evening hedrawethnigh to abide with us forever." This 
quotation conveys the aspect of divine revelation, asseen 
by studentsof evolution, but asall human perceptions of 
truth are relative, it is no more absolutely true that the 
Eternal One draws gradually nigh to his children, than 
that the sun draws gradually near to the earth. In 
the Mosaic account of creation, the doctrine of gradual 
and successive developments is stated in such a manner 
as to lead the uninitiated to suppose that whoever was 
the author of the Pentateuch, taught the astronomi- 
cal absurdity that the earth was created before the 
sun. Interpret the record in the light of science and 
you will at once perceive that the theory is, that at the 
time when the moon was formed, through the separa- 



SPIRITUAL THEKAPEUTIOa 

tion of an encircling ring from the earth, the sun and 
stars began to appear, just as colors are a new creation 
to a man born blind when he first beholds them, and 
sounds are a new creation to one who was deal' from 
birth, but whose ears are now for the first time un- 
stopped. Transposing the idea of revelation it is at 
once comprehensible and accordant with all science, 
but let it remain in its old groove and it suggests the 
idea of a fitful Deity. Once we understand that the 
ability to perforin any wonder is ours, so soon as we 
discover the law which makes a result possible, once 
we get free of the false belief that God or nature is 
partial, once we behold universal law in place of chance 
or caprice, and nothing is any longer impossible save 
a mathematical absurdity. 

Fear in the sense of dread is the great obstacle to 
human liberty, fear in the sense of doubt is the great 
drawback to success in all matters where confident de- 
cision is required, fear in the sense of reverence, respect, 
submission to divine guidance is the begining of wis- 
dom. But in its good sense the word fear is now very 

1 v used, therefore we do not commend to you even 
the fear of God as recommended in the Proverbsof 
Solomon. Perfect love casteth out all fear, we can not 
fear what we love perfectly, fear causes men to tremble 
and cringe even before a partially beloved object, fear 
and love hold divided sway in many a heart and you are 
doubtless all of you able to relate some chapters in 
your own experience when you trembled at the ap- 

ich of one you thought you loved. All that we 

in superior excites to awe until through the full' 
of our love, all terror is displaced. Before we can heal 



204 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

ourselves or others perfectly, we must have lost all fear 
and then with liberty to utilize our every faculty and 
gift we shall be equal to every emergency and ready 
at all times to obey the summons of the Spirit. Strive 
to excel in calm confident assurance that all is well, in 
quietness is strength, the calmer weare the m 
can accomplish. Anything like haste or nervou 
at deadly variance with success. Do not s< 
a disease, do not attack' an ailment, hut transfer your 
thought to the perfection of life immortal and let the 
soul act. This is ti | of power. 



LESSON XI. 

PRACTICAL ADVICE TO STUDENTS, HEALERS AND PATIENT8, 

AXD DIRECTIONS FOR THE APPLICATION OF SPIRITUAL 

IENCE TO ALL THE AVOCATIONS OF DAILY LII 1 . 

OXE of the most misleading errors and yet a very 
common one into which people tall, concerning 

ritual Science, is that it is to be studied and prac- 
ticed exclusively for the driving out of physical ail- 
ments and therefore that its study should be almost en- 
tirely confined to those who are seeking to identify 
themselves with a new therapeutic school, or are seek- 
ing to rid themselves of some physical ailment. Then 

lin, there is a prevailing impression that the practice 
of healing is extraordinary, that it consists in the men- 
tal utterance of prescribed formulas, and that to heal 
it is necessary to withdraw from the world and relin- 
quish all hold upon common obligations. The>< 
ments are all founded on fact and are in a limited sense 
correct, as they apply to special cases, but taken as a 
whole they are exceedingly misleading, as a very brief 
study of the science will prove to any intelligent in- 
quirer. From the earliest days of which there is any 
written record, the healing art has been practised by 
- pursuing every imaginable avocation, though 
in ancient times the power to heal seemed especially to 
inhere in those who had devoted themselves particularly 

200 



206 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

to the service of religion. The elders of the church 
alluded to in the Epistle of James, were the wisest and 
most experienced persons in an early Christian associa- 
tion. Elders were chosen because of their spiritual 
endowments of a practical character, and while some 
pursued the work of teachers and healers exclusively, 
others performed even menial labor, and in many in- 
stances the most successful healers have been th 
utterly destitute of worldly means; who have followed 
a laborious occupation and in its pursuit discovered 
their spiritual ability through grateful recognition on 
the part of those whom they have been instrumental 
in relieving. As Felix Adler lias said thai teachers of 
ethics will be succ. ; the clergy, s<> we may state 

that mental healers will succeed to t he practice of med- 
ical men and women. Bui cannot a clergyman widen 
his views and become a teacher of ethics, enlarging his 
sphere of usefulness, instead of abandoning his held 
of effort, provided his knowledge and convict 
keep pace with the progressive tendencies of thetimeJ 
So may the professors and doctors of medicine outgrow 
their physical limitations and do far more for the relief 
of suffering humanity as their methods become more 
spiritual than they could ever accomplish when limited 
by external scholasticisms. 

Esculapius was a divinity of the old world, a god 
of healing, and while it is customary to call physicians 
Esculapians, every one acquainted with mythology must 
be quite well aware that the name is derived not from 
a study and practice, such as the medical profession 
usually confines itself to to-day, but from a recogni- 
tion among ancient peoples of a healing force in nature 



SPIRITUAL THEKAPEUT1 20? 

pointed out and directed by invincible intelligence, 
No one of any experience, be he physician. Burgeon, 
nurse or attendant, will endeavor to deny that l>v far 
the largest percentage of diseases and accidents pro- 

1 directly from vice and folly. Subtract from the 
total sum of painful and distressing maladies those 
caused by crimes and indiscretions and you would so 
shorten the list that the few remaining would he 
resolved into the category of simple weaknesses, while 
accidents, proceeding as they do from drunkenness and 
nervous disorders, ill almost all instances, are most 
intimately connected with vice. It is unless and 
absurd, indeed, it is far worse, it is positively mis- 
chievous to turn into ridicule the old doctrine of 
suffering as a consequence of sin, for nothing is more 
positively emphasized by modern experience and an 
ever increasing familiarity with the law of heredity. 
Sin is so broad a word, it covers so much both of colli- 
sion and omission that many take exception to it as 
they confound it altogether with crime, which is an 
intense and more malignant form of offense. You can 
against yourselves ignorantly, you can also sin 
:nst others ignorantly. but to commit crime one 
must act deliberately for the injury of another. \ 
under the head of sin may be classed all weak en 
all mistakes, all violence done to sense of right and all 
opposition to the law of being. Please observe, we 
do not talk about laws but only law, as laws are of 
human device and are therefore constantly chan_ 
and in no sense binding*. Law is eternal and can never 

put aside. Laws of mortal enactment and varia 
belief are called laws of mortal mind because they 



208 SPIRITUAL THERAPBUTO 

mutable. expressions of mutable will, these are often 
more honored in the breach than in the observance 
and they prove themselves mortal because man can 
make, repeal, break, alter and destroy them. 

Divine law is universal. The law of nature is no 
respecter of persons and can not be tampered with or 
evaded by human ingenuity under any circumstai 
whatsoever, therefore, if il were a law of God or nature 
that you should become ill through being in a malarial 
district, there could not b< healthy inhabit 

in such a place. Were it a decree of God through nature 
that you should catch cold by sitting in a draught or 
getingyour feel wet, under no circumstances could you 
escape this penalty. Were it due to the action of uni- 
versal law that you should suffer from smallpox, chol- 
era or diphtheria, because it was in the air, no or. 
certain times in certain cities could possibly escape. 
Now , if medical precautions can he taken, if doctors and 
sanitary commissioners advocate antidotes, they must 
at once see that to succumb to such pestilences is totally 
unnecessary, and that those who fall victims d< 
causeof a weakness and through a predisposition which 
is vanquishable. Spiritual ps in and traces the 

weakness of the physical body to a prior defect in 
mental and moral condition, and therefore its advocates 
and interpreters claim that it is utterly to seek- 

to overcome physical disability without first ousl 
the demon of error possessing the mind. How more 
than useless it must be to torment an almost heart- 
broken widow or bereaved mother with pills and pow- 
ders, lotions and bandages, when everyone know 
well as she that her health was excellent before the 



SPIRITUAL THEBAPEUTK 

departure of her loved one to the invisible state. How 
ridiculous to seek to assuage results of an accusing con- 

nee or a perturbed mind with physical applian< 
for how, in the name of reason or common-sense, can 
any of you suppose that an effect will cease while its 
cause continues in active operation 1 If you are treat- 
ing one whose sickness originated with bereavement, 
argue immortality to the mind of the sufferer silently 
at first, then as your patient becomes composed, sleeps 
better.and manifests a visible attachment for vou, intro- 
duce the subject cautiously in conversation, chiefly in 
inviting* and answering questions. Never force a 
doctrine or religious proposition verbally upon any one, 
but direct the thought silently until the patient feels 
its influence and wishes to talk about it. The best 
times forgiving treatment in cities are early morning 
and late evening; in the country, where the atmos- 
phere is perpetually quiet, midday is as favorable as 
midnight, unless you have active occupation which 
sorbs your attention. 

In seeking a healer, continue your search until you 
find a person in natural electric sympathy with your- 
.'. one in whom you instinctively believe, and to whom 
you are irresistibly drawn. Be guided far more by in- 
stinctive and intuitive recognition of a power to bless 
than by any outward credentials, all of which may be 
misleading. The only faith in a healer necessary on 

part of a patient is confidence born of appreciation. 
Whenever you encounter any one who can help you, 

I feel drawn to such an one, and such drawing 
your instinctive response to good already received 

er tax the credulity of a patient, but when givin. 
14 



210 SPIRITUAL TIIEKArill! 

treatment adapt your methods as far as you conscien- 
tiously can to individual requirement and demand. 
Persons who are fond of music can be reached mi 
ally. If you are a musician of any kind, and discover a 
spiritual relationship or adaptability between yourself 
and any sufferer, play the organ, piano, violin or cor- 
net, as the case may be, either with or without the 
accompaniment of song, and cause the n i strike 

to vibrate to your own consciousness, as echoes of the 
sentiment you wish to convey, mentally if not orally, 
to your patient. You can give this treat men t from any 
distance and lind ii successful, provided you ehooe 
time when both you and your patient can be undis- 
turbed. In doing general housework, cooking and 
chamber work in particular, treatments can be s 
fully given, as you c;m impart your psychic influence to 
food you prepare, and leave your mental aura in any 
room you have swept or d US ted. If your outward 
engagements are those of the clerk, you can reach th 
who are attracted to you, and whom you wish to bene- 
fit, by simply conveying to them, menially, while band- 
ing them goods, the same thought you would utter in 
words were they to seek a conversation on the subj( 
In dealing with troublesome children, you must invari- 
ably hold them in mind as the very opposite of what 
they appear, for by so doing you appeal to and stimu- 
late their dormant higher proclivities. Never repeal a 
mistake or call attention to an error; counteract and 
destroy it by affirming and exhibiting its direct oppo- 
site. Never seek to diagnose disease physically, so 
to become acquainted with physical defects or derange- 
ments, but always insist upon seeing every part of the 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 21 l 

body perfectly whole, for by holding before the mind 
a perfect picture you inducean outward manifestation 
corresponding thereto. Do not usi^ silly or incompre- 
hensible phrases, such as, " You have no head, therefore 
it can not ache," but hold before your own and your 
patient's mind a perfect head, and as all form is essm- 
tially perfect in spirit, and outward symmetry is a result 
of inward harmony, by discarding pathology while 
retaining anatomy and physiology, you never allow an 
image to present itself to thought which you do not 
desire to see reflected or ultimated in externals. 

When seeking for success in legitimate worldly 
enterprises, always remember that you can bring to 
pass whatever c you steadfastly adhere to in thought; 
hut your success will never be to some one else's 
detriment, but always in a manner conducive to the 

leral good. If you are dissatisfied with your pi 
ent position, but have no other situation to go to, 
stay where you are, and faithfully and unrepiningly 
discharge the duties of your state, but perpetually 
see yourself in mind where you desire to be. II' you 
keep a hotel or lodging house, see your rooms filled 
witli just the kind of people you desire to occupy 
them, and by persistently so doing you will throw 
out a wave of mental influence which will attract 
to your house the very persons who need what you 
have to offer as much as you need what they have 
■ in return. If you are a teacher in search of 
pupils, a professional person desiring an engagement, 
an artist with pictures to dispose of, a lawyer need- 
clients, a lecturer in want of hearers, in a word, 
whatever your necessities may be, do not content your- 



212 SPIRITUAL THERAPED1 I 

self with advertising them in public print, or talking 
of them to your friends, but bring into requisition 
that perfectly legitimate occult force with which every 
one is by nature supplied in some degree, and which 
can be cultivated by all by a simple use of judicious 
concentrative methods. 

If any timid souls are afraid of black magic or mal- 
icious mesmerism Let them silence their doubts once for 

all by remembering two important facts, one is that in 
order to be influenced by evil there must bea weaki 
in your own condition, which it is the special province 
of metaphysical treatment to overcome, and the other 
that ignorance is no safeguard, but on the contrary 
knowledge alone is power, and to be forewarned is to be 
in a position to gel forearmed. Spiritual methods are 
never competitive, but invariably co-operative. N<> one 

can link himself in spirit with celestial spheres who 
does not banish from the circle of his immediate thought 
and desire all uncharitable, envious and sellish ambi- 
tions. The spiritual view of theuniverse and of the 
earth is that there is enough and to spare for all. No 
one needs to go hungry because another is well fed/ 
none need be paupers because of the opulence of 
others. Competition and monopoly are gigantic (nils, 
and even the entire waj < m i> a relic of feudalism 

and will soon be peacefully outgrown as spiritual prin- 
ciples are universally taught and applied. Whenever 
you seek to accomplish anything by mental methods, 
first assure yourself by submitting the project to con- 
science that it is right, then proceed at once to claim 
your inheritance. Why should you be deprived of light 
and air when there is abundance for you withoutde- 



SPIRITUAL tiikkaim n [< 213 

priving a living creature of any? Why remain victims 

of disease when you can recover without injuring 
living thing by your recovery i Why net enter into the 
realm of truth consciously and en joy that fuller measure 

of health and ampler supply of all vigor which can 
only conduce to the betterment of the condition of all 
your brethren \ Discard utterly all false notions of con- 
tracting disease, render yourselves positive against dis- 
order by boldly affirming that nothing can possibly affect 
you to your detriment, because you are immortal spirit 
and as such proof against all contamination. 

Taking this firm, strong mental attidude will produce 
a radical change in the state of the body, affirming 
positively in thought with firm conviction will send 
an electric thrill through your entire frame. If the ex- 
tremities have been cold, the lips blue, the cheeks 
colorless, pulse feeble and heart action weak and un- 
certain, you will find any one of these symptoms 
changed so that any medical man would instantly re- 
port a change in the pulse and bodily temperature, 

ill outward conditions are results of mental oraffec- 
tional emotions. Though you may not diagnose a c 
or know or say anything about physical conditions. 
mental assenerations and denials change the physical 
state by processes identical with those which make the 

od boil or turn it to ice, to use common expj 
on receipt of terrifying or distressing news or under 
provocation of a slight or insult. The body unwit- 
tingly responds to the mental condition, thus it is not 
try to know the physical difficulty in order to 
remove it. Diagnosis is a subject which needs very 

eful handling, as from a retrospective point of view 



214 SPIRITUAL THBBAKEUTK 

it is often valuable in convincing a patient that some 
knowledge derivable only by mental pro is in the 

possession of the healer. This evidence conduces to 
confidence, and provokes therefore a favorable bearing 
to the system presented. Prognosis is often highly ob- 
jectionable, because while it is founded upon a recogni- 
tion of the accuracy of prophetic prediction, it is usually 
utterly estranged from the true idea of prediction, 
which is not to the effect thai certain persons must of 
necessity suffer certain pains in future, but only that 
there is a discoverable law of sequence, which can 
never beset aside, which necessitates certain definite 
effects springing from certain defined cau& 

True prediction is prophetic in that it is a state- 
ment of universal law with which the majority are 
unacquainted. Very few people have any idea of the 
extent to which tin ir lives are influenced prejudicially 
by courses of thought and ait ion, they have been 
accustomed to pursue unthinkingly from servile de- 
votion to custom, fashion, or habit; therefore it he- 
comes the prime duty of an intelligent mental prac- 
titioner to give salutary advice of a strictly prac- 
tical nature, in accordance with n ned knowledge 
concerning the inevitable results of thought and con- 
duct. For instance, it is very common for people to 
live together in the cl elationship, and yet men- 
tally antagonize each other and that perpetually. The 
most prevalent source of sickness is unexpressed dis- 
cord, for we must never forgel that spiritual science 
teaches the eradication, not the repression of cantan- 
kerous feelings. No greater mistake can possibly be 
made than to endeavor to secure a simulation of good 



SPIRITUAL THERAPBUT* gig 

will not felt, for though an open enemy may be some- 
times dangerous to encounter, the secret foe is always 
the deadliest. Open animosity can be rebutted* and 
the very expression of erroneous feeling is usually fol- 
lowed by a better state of mind, as volcanic eruptions 
are followed by periods when the mountain is in 
comparative repose. Under no circumstances permit 
the little foxes of secret animosities to grow to ma- 
turity and multiply to the destruction of the fruits 
of your domestic vineyards. Remember tb 
request, "Take us the foxes, the little foxes that 
spoil our vines, for our vines have tender grap 
44 Let not the sun go down upon your wrath" needs 
to be ever held in remembrance, for nothing 
pernicious as to fall asleep in a state of discordant 
feeling, and have one's dreams broken in upon by 
hideous nightmares and delirious fears. When you 
are bodily asleep, your minds are intensely active on 
the psychic plane, while less amenable to outward 
influences, such as words and acts of those about 
you, you are far more sensitive than when awake 
to the thought emanations which are around you, 
and which are sent to you from those any where 
who seek to influence you either for good or ill. In 
treating for nervous affections, general debility and 
chronic ailments of all kinds, you will soon learn 
that secret fears, inharmonious and objectionable de- 
is are at the root of the malady. To endeavor 
to repress words and actions is more than 
as the mind turned in upon itself seek- gratification 
in lustful and revengeful feelings, which owing to 
the psychic law of attraction and repulsion, bl 



210 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

those who indulge them into the circle of those who 
live in the domain of such foul influence. 

Whenever you have a difficulty or grievance meet it 
boldly, bravely encounter your adversary in open com- 
bat. If it is in your power to argue a matter out with 
anyone who annoys you and who is apt to be vio- 
lent and unreasonable when you are alone together 
procure at least one wise truth-loving third party to act 
as audience, then demand explanation in a calm judicial 
spirit of inquiry. If such opportunities arc denied you, 
write to the parties between whom and yourself mis- 
understandings have arisen, assuring them of your utter 
repudiation of all malicious feelings. Never accredit any 
one with evil motive, attribute sin to ignorance, and 
after fully and freely stating your determination to 1 
no grudge and never to retaliate, dismiss the whole 
matter from your mind. Cremate your grievances in 
the fire of universal charity, and from that day forward 
refuse to remember that you ever had a quarrel. When 
you rise to that state of feeling, you are like a granite 
rock, immovable, no matter what breakers of ill-feeling 
from other minds may be directed against you. " For- 
get and forgive" is an imperative command, for the 
mortal memory of error must he destroyed, that the 
immortal perception of truth may assert its suprem; 
at all times, and enable us, whenever we desire it. to 
have for use all the treasures of knowledge we have 
accumulated in our varied experiences. We complain 
of defective memory because we allow ourselves to re- 
member what we ought to forget, and by retaining in 
our minds the recollections of what we should forcibly 
expel we clog our channels of communication with our 



SPIRITUAL THERAPBUTK L } 1 7 

higher or interior selves, wherein are deposited all the 

wisdom we have accumulated. 

In dealing with lack of adaptability between per- 
sons who are compelled to live or do business together, 
the infallible recipe is to carefully lookout for some 

one or more traits of character in those who are in 
many ways uncongenial to you. Fix your gaze steadi- 
ly upon their good points and pleasant features to the 
exclusion of regard for all others and not only will you 
protect yourselves from annoyance, but you will be 
benefactors of priceless value to those whom you thus 
regard, for it is an inevitable certainty that whatever 
you acknowledge in those with whom you associate, 
you tend to develope in them and also in yourself. 
Failure to reform and heal springs from dealing with 
the imperfection you desire to exterminate. To oblit- 
erate drunkenness and love of improper pleasuie in any 
one who frequents places of evil resort, never try to 
follow the delinquent mentally into dens of vice, but 
hold steadfastly in your own mind the picture of such 
an one where he should be, and doing his duty faithfully. 
Thus the wife of a gambler, or a man who is always at 
his club when he had better be at home, must, ere she 
can reform him, picture him constantly happy in her 
society at his own fireside. She must ever welcome 
htm without reproaches or expressions of surprise and 
by constantly holding him in thought as already where 
hould be she will draw him to righteousness by the 
superior attractions of " home, sweet home.' 3 A school 
teacher can correct naughty children by ignoring their 
naughtiness and placing them in thought as already 
tractable and just. In a word, tb* •** rule is 



218 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

reverse the portrait of evil, and by persistently holding 
in mind the image of what }^ou rightly desire ta see 
actualized you form mental union with powerful invis- 
ible force which accomplishes its externalization. 



LESSOR XIL 



FORMULAS, THEIE USE AND VALUE. 

AS we have already given the general outline of 
both the theory and practise of metaphysical 
science as applied to healing in its widest sense, w x e 
shall only in this last lesson briefly review the ground 
already traversed, and try to help you to see the value of 
those much controverted formulas which, while nothing 
in and of themselves, are nevertheless as forms of sound 
words, calculated to confer inestimable benefit on those 
who use them understanding^, or who are led by hear- 
ing them or seeing them in print, to meditate carefully 
upon the ideas they so tersely embody. You must all 
have noted many times in your experience how vividly 
you have been struck and deeply impressed by some words 
you have heard, not, perhaps, meant for your ears, or 
by some motto you have seen upon the wall of some 
railway waiting room. We have known of cases where 
a scripture text or other motto has prevented suicide. 
One case in particular we will relate as a sample in- 
stance, and we are sure many of our readers can easily 
collect similar anecdotes. A young woman quite alone 
in the world, without any settled religious belief or 
conviction of any kind, poorly educated and inured to 
neglect and misery, was driven to the utmost verge of 

219 



220 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

desperation by the coldness and unkind n ess of those 
who ought to have befriended her. She was traveling in 
search of work ; everything looked blank before her, 
and as the train stopped at a side station where 
was expecting to find some employment, but where no 
one met her, she sat down in a dreary waiting 
room alone and hungry to await the coming of a woman 
who had written to her to accept n hard situation for 
very little pay, and revolved it in her mind whethei 
bad not better end her miserable ce in the river 

which was close at hand. Without trust in God or 
man, or in any form of spiritual protection, her e 
seemed suddenly fascinated by a hitherto unrecognized 
text upon the wall, "The Lord wdl provide/ 1 the 
word will particularly struck he)'; it shone out, a i 
tain declaration, no faltering may, but a decisive i 
As she gazed spell-bound at the words, which all the 
while seemed as though they were being burned 
her consciousness by some invisible agency, the wall 
seemed to grow transparent, and through the appar- 
ently diaphanous substance she saw a figure pointing 
a pleasant villa residence on the bank of the river far- 
ther up the stream, (which was a winding one) than the 
ordinary eye of a spectator could behold. 

It seemed to her as though a beautiful lady was 
holding the text in one hand over her head, and with 
the other beckoning the girl to follow. So deeply 
impressed was the girl with this vision, which lasted 
for fully half an hour, that when it faded and the 
room resumed its previous bare appearance, she went 
out of the station and followed the course of the river 
a considerable distance without seeing any house at all 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 221 

resembling the villa of her vision. When almost 
ready to abandon what promised to be a fruitless 

upch, and attribute her strange experience to hallu- 
cination; the effect of weariness, she saw rising before 
her in a most picturesque region a house identical with 
the one which had created so forcible an impression on 
her inner consciousness. Hurrying toward it, run- 
ning to the door and eagerly ringing the bell, she 
found herself at once asking the neat young woman 
who answered the door whether the lady of tin, 1 house 
was in search of some one to do plain needlework or 

ist in the housework. Before the girl had time to 
reply, a clear, commanding, yet gentle voice, said, 
"Show the stranger into the parlour; I wish t<> 
her." On entering the room, she stood face to face 
with a beautiful lady in middle life, but looking much 
younger than her years, who said, Wk f^o you have an- 
swered my call, have you I Is it not better to 
come here and work for your living in this pleasant 
place, where you will always be well cared for, than 
go out alone among persons who do not even keep 
their appointments to meet strangers at the depot?" 
And then, looking very steadfastly at the girl, she said, 
witli intense but most kindly emphasis, "The \<<>n\ 
did provide not a grave in the river, but a home in the 
valley, for His tired and sorrowing child." At tin 
words the girl, who had been standing silent and mo- 
tionless while the stately lady was addressing her, 
impulsively burst forth into eager questioning : '* But, 
madam, how could you know what my thoughts w< 
or anything about me ; you have never been t<> Bi 
hampton, where 1 was born and reared — have you '" 



222 SPIRITUAL TUKKAI'Kl'TI- 

The lady replied, with a sweet and knowing smile, 
'•No, my child, I have never been to Binghampton, 
and I never saw you until to-day, but there are many 
ways of getting acquainted with people, of which you, 
as yet, know nothing. Bui you must rest to-night 
after you have had some refreshment. Louisa, the 
young woman who answered the door, will provide 
you with all you require, and at nine o'clock tomor- 
row morning I wish to see you and tell you many 
things it is important for you to understand, with ref- 
erence to the position J offer you in my household. 1 
know you are willing to perform its duties and will 
serve your employers faithfully." With many protes- 
tations of fervent gratitude, the weary, but now hope- 
ful and almost happy girl, left the presence of her 
mysterious benefactor, and after a good wholesome 
supper retired to bed and went to sleep in the pretl 

room she had ever occupied. The apartment was 
simply and inexpensively, hut beautifully because ar- 
tistically furnished. Everything spoke of order and 
method, hut not an unnecessary article could he de- 
tected anywhere. 

The following morning sheawoke precisely at seven 
o'clock hearing her name called, >* Marie Florence 
llepworth, it is time for you to rise." Here was an- 
other surprise. How could anyone in that locality know 
her name ! She had always been called Mary, occasion- 
ally her eai's had been offended by that grating mis- 
pronunciation of the soft and lovely Italian Maria 
which seems to be spelt Mayryre^ hut Marie Florence 
carried her back on the swift wings of childish recol- 
lection to a delightful little ch in Normandy 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUll 

where a tender mother, who passed to the unseen state 
when she was less than five years of age, said with 
departing breath, " God bless my little Mane Florence 
and keep her forever true to truth " As she was dtf 
ing these words repeated themselves again and again 
to her inward ears, true to truth. What a sublime and 
comprehensive expression! She resolved to relate her 
experience of this morning to the kind lady in wl 
house she was for the first time in fifteen y< 

ginning to feel what truth expressed through love 
might mean. At breakfast, which she tool; with 
the servants almost in silence, for her heart was too full 
for many words, she seemed to feel a presence looking 
at her and almost touching her, and as she felt that 
presence beside her or bending above her, her food 

med filled with a subtle essence of life-giving power 
food had neverpossesed for her before. She felt palpably 
stronger with each mouthful, and her mind seemed to 
grow clearer with every particle she partook of. 
Alter finishing her meal she went into the large and 

utiful garden which skirted the river, and enjoyed 
the songs of birds, the perfume of flowers and the 
general loveliness of the almost enchanted scene until 
the clock on the village church rang out nine, when she 
immediately returned to the house and presented her- 
self to the noble lady to whom she was ahead; 

ply indebted, and toward whom the deepest and 

tenderest emotions of gratitude were already stirred in 

her bosom. The lady received her with a gracious smile 

and inviting her to be seated said, "Now we are ready 

►us conversation, and ;is I have much to say to you, 

J ven orders that we shall be quite undisturbed tor 



224 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK 

at least two hours. Come with me to my private apart- 
ment where I do all my specially important work, we can 
there talk without fear of interruption. Entering the 
charming boudoir, fitted up with that peculiar grace 
and elegance which seems the natural habitat of truly 
refined people, the girl was at once struck with a m 
nificent illumination between the windows, "The Lord 
"Will Provide." These words stood out in flashing bril- 
liancy, as though traced in letters of moving fire. From 
the earthly standpoint only a cunning contrivance 
the decorator's art, but when viewed spiritually, capable 
of opening up a field of mystical research which a 
can not fully unraveL Taking the girl very gently by 
the hand and kissing her softly on the brow, the lady 
seated her in a chair exactly in front of these wonder- 
ful words, and requesting her to remain quite passive for 
a few moments, said, "relate whatever impression or 
vision comes toy on." Aiteraboutfiveminute'ssilent i 
ing upon the words which riveted the attention of < 
and mind at oner, she started visibly, and exclaimed, 
"Why, Madam ! I see a thin, white, shining cord running 
through the air all along the road between here and 
the railway station, and it ends just with these same 
words traced upon the wall of tin 4 waiting-room w! 
I sat yesterday and felt you calling me, for it must have 
been you, or 1 should never have been led as I 1 
been, to this beautiful house." * Finding that the girl 
was truly receptive to mental influence of a high and 
practical order, the lady gave her valuable directions and 
much advice of inestimable worth, warning her of 
the danger of dabbling with occult forces for vain 
and sordid purposes, but dwelling chiefly upon the 



SriKHTAL THEBAPEUT* 

tremendous power for good inherent in thought, which 
is the greatest of all forces, and of which electricity n 
the first born child; she then proceeded to explain how 
concentration of gaze helps concentration of thought, 
and how it is possible to establish phsychical connection 
between distant persons and places by means of what is 
sometimes called occult telegraphy. The telephone, 
microphone, audiphone and other marvels of nine- 
teenth century skill are all products of a spiritual wave 
of enlightenment now sweeping over the earth and 
inciting inventive genius to outwardly portray in some 
degree the mighty silent power of intelligence which, 
in its higher modes of manifestation, accomplishes by 
invisible methods what physical inventions feebly ex- 
ternalize to the perception of mortal sense. 

As we have no space to continue this narrative which 
will be published in full in a story- setting forth the 
practical workings of the mental telegraph we musl 
ask our readers to content themselves with pondering 
over this mystery of the connection between the text 
in the lady's boudoir and the depot waiting room. 
While cabalistic incantation, crystal seership and other 
marvels and mysteries of ancient occultism may be 
disregarded by multitudes to day as degrading sup 
tions or devices of the evil disposed to lure the in; 

ting to their doom, we ought never to forget thai 
the vilest form of black magic is nothing but a reversal 
of the purpose of beneficent mental operation. As you 
do not advise the destruction of the tongue or any 
other member of the human body because of its fre- 

*The Electric Age, a romance of to-day, by \V. J. Colville, now 

in pi 



226 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

quent perversion, so we are foolish indeed if we ra 
a cry of alarm either at the approach of spiritualism or 
theosophy, for both those systems contain so much of 
truth, and are expressions of so much hidden power in 
nature, that because the unscrupulous abuse their gifts 
and the ignorant sometimes get into trouble, is no rea- 
son whatever why intelligent people of every phase of 
opinion should not unite to clarify the air of mental 
pestilence by vigorously Betting to work to comprehend 
and utilize the divine power of thought ever at their com- 
mand. If the unscrupulous do occasionally deceive the 
unwary, if mercenariness does sometimes eclipse sense 
of duty in those who make gold their idol, the great 
majority of those who are practically engaged in the 
work of teaching and healing by mental methods are 
striving to obtain a clearer insight than ever bei 
into the mystic law of spirit which is fathomable by us 
only as we knock on the door of the temple of knowl- 
edge by earnest Longing to bless rather than to he 
blessed. 

A formula or set form of words should always 
cord fully with the convictions of those who employ it 
or it cannot be faithfully made use of. In treating :. 
eral cases, and in striving to keep yourselves fortified, 
terse, simple, comprehensive formulas ai i useful. 

NEGATE 

God is Omnipresent Good, therefore there is no evil 

Matter has neither intelligence, sensation nor sub- 
stance. 

There is neither sin, sickness nor death in Real 
LSeing. 
15 



SPIRITUAL TIIKKAPl'r ! I 

God is working through me both to will and to do 

His good pleasure, therefore I need fear no evil. 

AFFIRMATIONS. 

God is Omnipresent Good. 

God is infinite love, wisdom and truth. 

God is Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent. 

God is infinite life and substance. 

God is our Father and Mother. 

God tills all time, space and place. 

I am in God. 

At the center of my being I am one with (rod. 

As man or woman I cannot get out of God. 

In the Real Being I am "Well, because God is my 
health — and lie is working through me to will and to 
do His good pleasure. 

These sentences, most of them compiled or selected 
by Mrs. Sara Harris, of Berkeley, Cab, are a good 
sample of formulas of value. 

Our special word of exhortation shall be: Do not 
permit yourselves to be blindly led by any human au- 
thority, however admirable. Bemember that every 
great man and woman the world has ever seen was in 
one sense an original theorist. Imitators and copyists 
have never been the great ones in the ranks of science, 
literature or art. And as we admire originality wher- 

r we find it, as original genius, rather than imitative, 
places the crown of unfading glory upon the brow of 
those who have possessed it, while we do well to pay 
deferential heed to all who would bring us words of 
truth or encouragement, let us acknowledge 

>le and not outward appearance, as our guide and 
director at all times and in all things. 



228 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

With love and good will toward all, and malice 
toward none, realizing that the weapons of our warfare 
are spiritual and not carnal, let us go forward in our 
work, hand to band, shoulder to shoulder and heart to 
heart, and let us ever remember that in union, but nol 
in uniformity, there is jli. AW do not desire all 

voices to sing anthems in unison, hut we all desire to 
weave glorious harmonics in the anthem of our wort 
We desire to create symphonies rather than for all to 
carry the air. When we learn to symphonize ; when 
we learn to harmonize, and thus fill in the different p, 
in the song, and play the different instruments of the 
orchestra; when we can he Likegreat organs with many 
stops and pedals, producing many variations in sound — 
now soft as the gentlest zephyr, and now wild as the 
roar of the ocean on the i inn ; 

when we learn to appreciate the bright red of the 
poppy and the geranium, the purity of the white lily, 
the modest purple of the violet, and the lovely family 
characteristics of the lily of the valley and the little blue 
forget-me-not; when we can learn to appreciate and im- 
itate the grain of mustard seed, which is the tiniest of 
all seeds, and know that from the smallest beginii 
the greatest result may be evolved, then, never falter- 
ing, but always pressing on, we forget the things behind, 
we forget all discouraging circumstances, and bravely 
press ahead to the radiant goal of perfection, which en- 
amors our delighted vision, and spurs us on to the over- 
comingof the gravest difficulties, if we do but keep our 
mental gaze riveted upon it. We implore you not to 
look back, but to ever look forward. 

When the hosts of Israel had crossed the Red £ 
and had placed their feet upon the borders of another 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

country, the words came from Jehovah to Mo€ 
"Speak unto the children of Israel that theygofor^ 

ward/' Not that they look backward, nor that they 
stand still, nor even that they look forward, but that 
they go forward. Let ns take this motto for all our 
work: " Go forward,'' and let us remember that while 
in the letter it may be an allegory, in the spirit it is 
always a fact that Lot's wife, who looks back, is con- 
verted into a pillar of salt, a warning to those who 
come after her. Do not let us put our hands to the plow 
and then look back, and thus become unlit for the 
heavenly kingdom, but let our career be a continual for- 
ward march, and if it is such our success is inevitable. 
If any one character in poetry represents true meta- 
physicians more than another, it is Longfellow's Alpine 
climber, who, in that charming lay, u Excelsior," rep- 
resents the true and glorious child of God and nature, 
who presses on to ultimate conquest, even over seeming 
total defeat. Longfellow's "Excelsior," is the represen- 
tative of all true, noble workers. It stands for every 
true worker and his enterprise. The youth sees a high 
mountain before him; he determines to climb it. The 
worldly wise come to him and say : "Try not the pass." 
They speak Wth the wisdom of age and experience, 
and they say: "Other people have been dashed to 
pieces; try it not ! It is mad folly to attempt it." The 
girl who loves him represents the affections of the 
lower nature. She comes with all the allurements of 
earthly affection, and urges him to desist from his en- 
terprise, and rest with her, enjoying the sweets of life 
on an earthly plane. He is deaf to the entreaties alike 
of the sage and of the maiden, and pressing on and on, 



230 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

he still holds in his hand " The banner with the strange 
device. Excelsior." He still sings that soul:. "Higher 
ever higher." 

It seems at last as if lie were utterly defeated, but 
when the monks, engaged in their devotions, and the 
dogs which are employed to ferret out travelers who 
fall asleep in the snow among the Alps, find the body 
of the beautiful boy. still and cold, ere they bury it 
there comes a voice from the heavens above, with all 
the light and brilliance of a descending star, and the 
word "Excelsior" is echoed from the heavens. Thus, 
from the uttermost confines eming defeat, the 

shout of eternal victory rends the air with the old glad 
note of triumph. 

That same old word which the boy sang in sadi 
and joy and in every hour of lone] MinMniiv 

sing as we press to the same dizzy, hut glorious, height 
he so nobly won. In the final ;' Longfellow's 

"Excelsior v are expressed the reward and certain 
tory of all true workers, embodied in the sweetest 
song. All works and all workers, who will place b< k - 
fore them the highest ami the noblest and the best, 
whatever their earthly end may be, whatever the seem- 
ing victory or defeat, must eventually triumph. Of 
one thing we may be sure, that all true,valiant her 
all noble, conscientious, never-to-be-dismayed work< 
become at length like Longfellow's melodious star, 
whose shining gives light unto others, and encoura 
with the glorious notes of accomplished victory, bid- 
ding them ever to come higher, because, even though 
it be through earthly defeat, genuine victory is 
sure, and though earthly things may fail us, we enter 



SPIRITUAL THERAPKUTS 881 

through true devotion the light which ne'er grows dim. 

Let us take for our motto, then, " Excelsior." And 
when that word enters into the very fiber of our 
thought, and becomes one with the very blood and 

■w of our enterprise ; when we are no Longer con- 
tent with lower tilings, and never gaze backward, but 
always forward ; then for each and all, helping on the 

*1 work everywhere, victory of the only kind that 
can be loved and appreciated by true lovers of 
humanity is a foregone conclusion, an inevitable i 
tainty. And thus let us endeavor to consecrate ourselves 
and make our homes places where the silent influence of 
uplifted thought may bless all who cross the threshold ; 
let us all follow our highest inward light. Be true t<> 
the noblest within you; look to things eternal, and not 
to things temporal ; delight in service to humanity, and 
not in present and private gratifications: and love not 
too well the things which perish in the osin 

Hearing one day a company of fashionable people 
discussing a musical entertainment given the previous 

i nng before a large and brilliant throng compot 
chiefly of the elite of a fashionable society in a gi 
and wealthy city, we were particularly struek with a 
criticism passed upon the performance of a young 
artist, whose rendering of an old, well-worn ballad 
was such as to give the old, familiar air a new 
and deeper meaning than it had ever seemed capable 
conveying before. As he proceeded with his solo, he 
introduced some charming variations, which, to the 
quick ear of the very few present who had known 
what it was to be introduced in som measun 

the inner sphere of music, (of which mechanical per- 



232 SPIRITUAL TIIEKAI'FJTICS. 

formers and professional critics know nothing,) he in- 
terpreted divinely beautiful thoughts never before asso- 
ciated with the song. "I should never have known it." 
was the remark made by several who were comment- 
ing upon the performer's skill, but how different a 
meaning did the same words convey uttered by two 
persons who both ventured to pass an opinion on a 
rarely beautiful musical effort — an effort in which in- 
spired genius blended with the results of careful study 
and diligent application to i<< 

In one case the hard, cold, metallic, musical mechan- 
ician demurred ;it anythinj ould style an interpo- 
lation or change of original S( >n the other hand, 
a perception, in some degree, of I he rather than 
the letter y oi harmony, enabled the other critic, who 
might more justly and reasonably be called a grateful 

and sympathetic disciple of genius, to respond to the 

electric thrill which always vibrates through an atmos- 
phere pervaded with a subtle force, generated only 

when combinations of sound are effected by a per- 
former who transcends th< typed limit Imi- 
cal exactitude. 

When the mind is enveloped in a thick shadow of 
externalism, higher voices than one is accustomed to 
hear produce the rather disagreeable effect of thunder 
on a nervous ear, and this rumbling noise causes aver- 
sion rather than promotes delight. 

To all who are seeking to work in harmony with 
superior thought, our counsel is, do not estimate your 
success in any measure by the amount of appreciation 
you win from a mixed multitude. If you succeed in 
reaching an unusually high goal or summit of attain- 



SPIRITUAL Til ER API-XT I 

ment, you will not be appreciated by the mas* 
well as though you stood on a lower level, and w 
nearer their plane of thought ; but it is only by reach- 
ing this sublimer elevation you can scientifically d*Mn< Mi- 
te that all disorders of the mind and body mil be 
successfully vanquished through the operation of n 
power entirely beyond the physical. When you 
reach nearer than the multitude to this high station, 
your presence will heal all who are ready to receive a 
blessing through the introduction of purer thoug 
into their mental sphere. 

Perfect tranquility of mind, complete absorption in 
one's w T ork through the love of it, and total indiffer- 
ence to the world's censure or applause, are absolutely 
ntial to everv student who would succeed in giving 
that evidence of ability to demonstrate spiritual science, 
which is indispensable to the truly successful practi- 
tioner. 



MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS- 

UNDER this beading we have replied to a number 
of important queries from all parts of the world 
in the order in which we have received them. Owing 
to their great number and the amount of ground I 
covered we found it totally impossible to attempt any 
more definite classification. 

Question. No. 1. What is teally meant by M 
physical Healing t 

Answer. Metaphysical Healing does not properly 
speaking mean anything more or other than lh< 
of thought to overcome all physical lent. 

Without entering into anv lengthened dissertation 
concerning the reality or unreality of matter, before 
we can comprehend the theory of Metaphysical Heal- 
ing we must understand the mean nil:- of the term Meta- 
physical, which signifies ^ I" phys- 
ics" and " mindovi r matU r." Th< definitions are 
sanctioned by the best h. [f then at the 
outset we simply concede the sovereignty of mind and 
the subserviency of sense we shall be prepared to loj 
ally admit that no physical condition can offer an 
insuperable obstacle to mind. An intelligent Meta- 
physical Healer who knows something of occult science 
may readily understand how every human thought is 
a magnet attracting kindred, and repelling antagonistic 
thought. If we think bright, happy, useful thoughts, 

2U 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK 

we gather or accrete tons a force Like unto thai we 

send forth into the ambient psychic atmosphere, we 
thereby are related to whatsoever is true, pure and 
harmonious, but just as surely, if we entertain sad, 

oneous thoughts, do we draw to us mental influences 
of a darker hue. 

This fact is pretty generally conceded at present 
among students of psychic matters, still it is veryne< 
sary to persist in affirming this continuously, when 
called upon to treat those in whose minds, knowledge 
of spiritual law is at best but an uncertain light. 

The germ theory of disease now so much in vogue 
in medical circles, and said to be in many install 
proven by the microscope, offers no impediment in the 
way of accepting Metaphysical ideas, for the very fad 
of multitudes escaping when contagion is in the air 
proves beyond question that we must be in a receptive 
state, or we cannot take in hacter 

Now, while all physicians allow that susceptibility 
in one instance and non-susceptibility in another 
answers the query, i% ^Vh\ do some people suffer from 
infection while others escaped it is only the Mrin- 
physician who leaves the bodily condition behind and 

s in search of a mental cause for such varied p! 
ical states. AVe do not deny that persons take cold and 
suffer in various ways because of their bodily condil 
hut what we do most persistently maintain is that 
physical states are invariably the result of mental. 

k the car.se of physical susceptibility or weak 

i indecision, fear or some still worse emotion that 

lowered the tone of your vitality. I I in 

chai he thought radically, and the physical state 

alters of necessity. 



236 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

Ques. No. 2. Will you define tfo f thought 

and how it acts on the horty ? 

Ans. To fully define the nature of thought and 
state just how it acts on the body would indeed require 
much ability, time and space, in all three of which 
necessary commodities we feel ourselves in the present 
instance, at least, sadly deficient. 

If "a word to the wise is sufficient," we trust to all 
our readers being wise enough to let the following brief 
and humble word drop as a seed into the fertile soil of 
their receptive minds, in which it may quicL mitt- 

ate like a grain of mustard seed into a prodigious I 
Thought we conceive to b< i generated by idea, through 
a process of mental friction; as two hard substai 
being rubbed together emit .spark's and kindle dame, 
two ideas, either two ideasof the same individual, or 
one of the individual's and one of another's coming 
together, produce a result, and that result we call 
thought, which is less than idea, though it must b 
partial expression and outcome of some idea. We some- 
times generate thoughts, and oftener still do 
them; when we receive them we frequently call them 
impressions^ but nothing can make an impression on as 
unless we are in an impressible condition. 

Matter is not necessarily a myth, but whatever it is, 
it is less than mind and is included in it. If matter in 
its last analysis is force, then what is force i Thoughts 
are things, and therefore can be felt, and under favor- 
ing circumstances can be seen and heard also. 

A thought can strike your mind and wound it just 
as a stone can strike your body. ]>y dexterous mental 
movemeut you can often dodge an unpleasant thought 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC 

when you feel it coming, as you can avoid being hit bv 

a stone flung toward you by physical dexterity. Those 
truly appareled in Spiritual sheen are like knights 
coated in armor of mail through which a bullet cannot 
pass. Again we must refer to occult science to prove 
our reasoning. AVe are constantly generating an aura 
which perpetually surrounds us. If this aura is of the 
higher type, the result of exalted modes of thinking 
and aspiring, it renders us absolutely impervious to the .[ 
attacks of disagreeable thought, thus we become lifted 
to a region where we are no longer wounded or made 
angry by anything or any body. 

All outward things commonly called material are 
correspondences and results of things invisible, thus as 
our mental state governs our mental susceptibility it 
reactionally and ultimately determines our physical 
state. 

Ques. No. 3. Can ice treat ourselves metaphysically 
> regeneration in the same way that toe < 
treat <>tJt> r& 

Ans. Most decidedly we can, though it must be 
admitted that it is a more difficult task to treat our- 

vs than others for the obvious reason that when we 
most sorely need treatment we are in the worst condi- 
tion for giving treatment, Regeneration is a \cvy 
large word and means vastly more than we can now 
explain in detail, but as it certainly includes the idea 
of development and reconstruction we can simply 
affirm and will content ourselves with affirming that 
neration is most readily accomplished by deliber- 
ately retiring from the outer world in thought as well 
as action, and then in some calm retreat at some con- 



238 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC 

venient hour, either quite by ourselves or in company 

with some exceedingly congenial friend, fix our mind 
on whatever we most earnestly desire, and this ob 
of our desire we must look upon with our mental vision 
as the artist gazes upon his picture, the architect upon 
his plan, the inventor upon his machine, as already per- 
fectly externalized while yet not a single step has been 
taken in the visible execution of the design. Are yon 
afflicted with grinding poverty, then sec yourself in 
comfortable circumsta e will nol advise immoder- 

ately rich); are you physically crippled, tin - air- 

self straight as a dart, hold the image of perfection in 
the direction in which you particularly seek it pen 
ently before you, and if you will persevere in this 
mental exercise, m ecially if you will insist upon 

seeing this image and no! r before you at night 

before you fall asleep, you will soon relate yourself to 
a sphere of thought which will so invigorate your 
mind as to render actual in youi body the condition 
you desire. 

Ques. No. 4. Metaphysi \ett us t<> deny all 

limitations %rm tl> WiUyoujjL 

till us Ik in truth in doing th 

Ans. Regardless of what any persons may sa; 
every one speak and affirm what he individually f< 
to be the truth. No metaphysician should I rded 

as infallible, nor his word placed in the stead of the 
voice of one's own conscience; therefore, never affirm 
anything which you may deem untrue. Neverthel 
as we grow in the knowledge of spiritual thinga we 
attain to a realizing sense of what we are in truth, in 
absolute reality, and then we find out that we are per- 



SPIRITUAL . rues. 

feet and immortal Spirit. The whole secret of StH* 
in treating is to self ami patients out o( materia] 

thought, L e., thought about material things. When 
we realia our higher selves we do not think about our 
lower, and it is only in that exalted frame of mind that 
ome oblivious to pains, vexations and limits 
and find ourselves free as birds in the open air. We 
affirm literally nothing and we deny literally noil, 
concerning our physical organisms when we are "in 
the spirit." You have probably all known what i f is to 
expedience at least occasional and transient absorption 
of thought in other things than those about you. The 
mind needs to rest and recuperate its forces by oon- 

usly bathing, as it were, in a spiritual ocean, from 
which celestial bath it returns re-invigorated to per- 
form the varied and often irksome duties of the out- 
ward state; for this reason profound slumber, undis- 
turbed sleep, is so necessary that insomnia leads to 
mental aberration. When you enjoy' unbroken rest all 
night, you awake in the morning mysteriously siren 
ened and refreshed and often quite buoyantly hap 
This mental elasticity is due to your having enjoyed a 
temporary sojourn in the spiritual realm unvexed 
mortal cares. When giving or taking a treatment you 
need just this perfect release from material 
We can only explain it by saying that yoi en- 

vor to travel in thought to the infinitely happy, free 
tnd rich ; von must journey in mind to the absolul 
perfect, nnd there bask in ht of the hi 

which the mind can contemplate. St; eel that the 

immortal <-<jo, the deathless / is perfect and p 
things, and rest assured that only in this manner can yoq 



24:0 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC 

so relate yourself with the infinite as to ( tvercome tlie lim- 
itations of the finite. Your ailments have departed, your 
sorrows have fled, your pains have vanished and ye1 yon 
did not see or feel them go, hut they went by reason 
of your mental postun took a spiritual BUnbath, 

and the heat melted the ice and the light drov< 
the vapors. Place before yourself your highest p 
ble conception of ideal humanity and comem 

tive to d and proof a infernal influeo 

you invite construct) pel destructive force. 

You arc well, you are pefecl in your immortal 1 >«inir, 
which is the center of your 1 ife. I ): av thoug 

to this true vital center and you will behold truth. 
Qubs. No. 5« ) 

i 
of God. A /■' If 

not. how '-'in f! 

i. We do not Bay thai 
manifestation of God in a direcl ■■. hut i 

believe every natural expression to be divine, we can- 
not thereby include diseased or d 
mortal error Every work on pathology \\ 
come across declar bnormal, it 

a natural and therefore healthy condition of affairs 
that is designated di Perversion pi the 

appearance of . and God is surely not the author 

oftheactof perversion if He he the creator of 
force which man either willfully or ignorantly per- 
verts. Students of this subject can glean much under 
this head from the writings ( 
arguments are very logical and whose deductions 
very clear as to the cause and nature of so-called i 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 24 1 

The writings of Henry James, an ardent admirer of 
Swedenborg, can be consulted with great profit by 
those seeking light on this subject,but as the themeis in- 
tensely profound and at first sight intricate, consider- 
able time and attention must be given to it before the 
problem will appear solved. To give a patent illustra- 
tion, you may conceive of all things as essentially, 
intrinsically good. All is good, there is no evil, but 
though all things are in their essence good, every sepa- 
rate thing is good for something and not good (there- 
fore relatively bad) for something else. Abuse is in- 
harmony which does not necessarily imply imperfec- 
tion or error any where except in the use to which an 
instrument is put. The ability to err is doubtles 
necessary part of discipline. We do not belong to that 
school which looks upon all physical expression a 
mistake, we contend onlv for the possibility of so learn- 
ing to employ everything aright that evil shall be utt< 
abolished and discord shall utterly cease. When you 
are suffering the best attitue to assume toward your 
suffering is that it is a stepping-stone to a height beyond, 
you thereby rob it of its sting. The uselessness of 
pain adds to its bitterness. Make it serve an end, 
transmute it, regard it as a consequence of some | 
experience remembered or forgotten, and, therefore, a 
factor in education. But whenever obstacles and sor- 
rows present themselves remember we encounter them 
only to gain strength by rising superior to them. What 
we cannot agree to is the theory that we should tamely 
submit to be crushed by them and call our weakl 
the will of God. We can only avoid falling into mis- 
ery in the future by learning wisdom from past exp 
16 



242 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

ence and so conducting ourselves mentally as to draw 

to us only purely healthful and beneficent influent 

Ques. No. 6. Is tin laying on of ha 
able? 

Aks. The laying on of bands is advisable when you 
feel it to he so, i. e., when you feel an influence unmis- 
takably good impelling to so act. Ti >word hand 
is frequently used in Scripture in a figurative sense, and 
thus it is often straining a point to infer that whenever 
the phrase "laying on of hands" is met with, it signi- 
fies any form of bodily contact. We do not wish to 
appear illiberal, therefore, we are particularly careful 
to state frequent 1 y in public places, t hal we know many 
healers do great good who lay on hands in treating, at 
the same time we are most careful t that in onr 

Opinion it is not the act of manipulation, hut a spirit- 
ual force going with it that accomplishes the OH 

If one is confined to any ■ al mode of action, 

one's usefulness becomes painfully confined, for this 
reason we do not advocate manipulation. Then, again, 
bodily contact is often productive of two serious evil 
in the first place, it renders the patient's mind too ad 
on the outward plane, and second, it frequently exp 
the healer to the danger of contagion. We would, 
however, allow the utmost reasonable latitude in all 
such matters. No one should strive to be a law unto 
another. If yon treat in the way you conscientiously 
feel to be best, the divine blessing will accompany your 
effort, whatever it may be. Pure motive is the essen- 
tial need, and wherever the intent is pure, good must 
follow r . 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEirA 243 

Que?. No. 7. Of what us< to an a\ 
feting that it endures? W< can understand that our 

"<rin(j raises us spiritually, and that it is througi 
that animals suffer^hut as one creatun ought 
to he sai other, th 

hem to undergo oug/U i - 

Ans. There is indeed much room for speculative 
inquiry with regard to this interesting and complex 
subject, and it would be no difficult task for us to oc- 
cupy many pages in a labored attempt at its satisfac- 
tory elucidation. Desiring, however, to be as brief and 
practical as possible, we will content ourselves with 
remarking that the whole gist of theosophical teaching 
is to the effect that everything is slowly wending 
way upward to a higher expression than has yet been 
evolved. If the theory of involution be studied in 
connection with evolution, it will be comparatively 
easy to trace the benefit accruing to all sentient crea- 
tures from the sufferings to which they are involun- 
tarily subjected. \Toe is ever pronounced against him 
by whom an offense cometh, not against those who 
the victims of such offense. Inexorable divine jusl 
through the perpetual out-working of the undevial 
law of Karma or consequence ordains that those who 
perform an act of cruelty alone suffer for such act in 
the long run. Appearances are often so deceitful, and 
it is so hard for us to clearly distinguish be! wren real 
and apparent loss, that we often fail in seemi 
to trace the good, but all unmerited suffer] .. all 

suffering not brought upon ours by folly of our 

own, redounds inevitably to our highest interest by 
celerating thepro< f our development, and let us 

remember that the law of Karma works in the animal 



244 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK 

as well as in the human kingdom. Animals as well as 
men, are all traveling on to a higher bourne than they 
have yet attained, and as this is a fact known to tl 
familiar with the ancient wisdom now bring presented 
to the world at large, the problem is solved, immedi- 
ately wesee the law of comp >n operating on be- 
half of animals as well as men. Dr. Anna King] ford, 
that noble woman and true Theosophist who di< 
much to enlighten the world on the true basis of moral 
conduct, argued with overwhelming tom- the 
eating oi* flesh and particularly against vivisection on 
the score of these practices bene:- subversive of the high- 
est interests of human welfare, as they are in 
opposition to our deepest moral instincts, bul though wo 
who err must incur a penalty in our own deterioration 
until we have expunged our fault with hitter suffer 
the innocent victims of our inordinate selfishness only 
lose their mortal envelopes and doubtless in ev« 
receive an impulsion forward through the sad experi- 
ence which has removed their outward fom 
philosophy which does not carry the thought of infinite 
retributive justice in every department of the univ 
can be ultimately satisfactory to mankind, and for this 
reason, if for no other, we should defend the doctrine 
of a future existence for animals and allot their suf- 
ferings a place in the order of their progression, 

Quss. No. 8. Are not const qm human 

perience often totally disproportionate to the error which 
induces them f a* for an mistakesa toad- 

stool for a mushroom and <]'< 

Ans. No act can possibly he solitary and unre- 
lated to other and previous acts, therefore the 



SPIRITUAL THBBAPEUT* 2 I 5 

ingor eating of a toadstool in mistake for a mushroom 
and beingpoisoned inconsequence is an experience which 
can only becorrectly understood by one whohastra 
out the relations of cause and effect to an extent \'-av be- 
yond the attainments of the majority. Say that the 
standing alone is a very trival mistake, a simpleerrorof 
judgmentin no sense criminal, a philosophical inquiry of 
momentous import at once presents itself, viz., what 
has induced a state of mind rendering such an error 
possible? Is not the ostensible actonly the first visible 
expression of perhaps a very long and important chain 
of unknown antecedent causes? If the spiritual per- 
ceptive faculty was inany way keensucha mistake could 
not occur, and why is not the intuition keen enough to 
avert such a catastrophe, is a very pertinent query in 
this connection. "We continually attribute the gravest 
oonsequences to the most trivial acts solely b 
do not see behind them into the mysterious past 
whence they sprang. We see a flash of lightning and 
hear a clap of thunder, these are the first intimations 
we often have of a terrific storm which has been, all 
unknown to us, for a long time slowly brewing. We 
are out in the storm without even a wrap or an um- 
brella, totally unprotected, surprised and at the mercy 
of the raging elements, or we are in a railway carri 
or on a steamboat and an accident overtakes us bo sud- 
denly that we are instantly maimed beyond probable 
recovery. These things Ave say are casualties which 
cannot be prevented, and yet in every instance had we 
only developed our psychic perception to an extent we 
have not as yet done, we should have been Eorewan 
forearmed, protected, or in some manner saved cntu 



246 SPIRITUAL THEBAFBUTiaB. 

from the affliction which has befallen us. Belief in 
special providence and absolute miracles has arh 
entirely from a failure to account for exceptional 
occurences in the light of relative psychic culture. 

Ques. No. 9. Do we understand you to main 
that accidents as well as disea* all pn 

and therefore quite united mm 

Ans. Accidents are invariably the result of folly 
or ignorance when they are not the fruits of lawl 
ness or crime. An accident must have a cai 
it must be the ell fig, it dors not oil 

ate through the arbitrary i of God, neil 

is it a freak of fortune. What occasions for the 
most part those events commonly termed acci- 
dents? Drunkenness, frenzy, fear and a hosl of other 
vices and follies coupled with recklessness and a lack 
of skill on the part of Bomobody, will account probably 
for 9Q per cent., while t he remaining 10 per cent., even 
though seemingly beyond human control, are simply 
beyond that limit of control which ordinary men and 
women have yet gained over their surroundings. Now 
avc wish particularly to call our readers' most careful 
attention to the following important proposition, which 
is that all mishaps are avertible, provided we are suf- 
ficiently developed spiritually to heed those numerous 
and instructive warnings which invariably precede i 
aster. Just as the weather prophet can, by scanning 
the face of the sky, which others can not read, foretell 
the impending tempest, just as the shrill whistle or 
clanging bell signals the arrival or departure of a train 
though a deaf person hears no sound at all, so unseen, 
and to the ear of flesh inaudible influence- are perpet- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK 247 

ually warning us to get out of danger's way, but alas, 
the prene2 gourde of our unseen friends is beard by com- 
paratively few of earth's children. The great p 
tical advantages attending and resulting from psychic 
culture are that with our interior vision more fully 
opened we shall be able to see things in their true pro 
portions, and thus avoid making mistakes and falling 
into pits of needless sorrow. The following clipping 
from the Golden Gate serves to illustrate in somem 
ore what we are seeking to convey. The editor of 
that valuable weekly says: " One of the first fruit 
the 'gift of the spirit' is that of being able fa 
the spiritual status of those with whom one comes in 
contact. He reads his fellow-beings, whenever he 
chooses to do so. as from an open book. He can not 
tell you how or why, but he knows, and that knowledge 
is almost infallible. In the higher unfoldment of this 
wonderful faculty one may ever know in whom to put 
his trust. Armed with this power how many of 'the 
rocks and shoals of time' may be avoided." 1( tin 
true, as it unquestionably is in the main, in all particu- 
lars, can not we easily extend our view of this entranc- 
ing subject until it embraces a realization that we can 

oresee coming events as to avoid painful experien* 
The literature of clairvoyance abounds in striking 
illustrations of this power, but until recently t! 
alent opinion has been that clairvoyance in its wi( 
sense is a special gift, a dower bestowed by heaven on 
a few, but utterly unobtainable by the many. The p 
ent trend of advanced spiritual thought is toward 
demonstrable conclusion that every one can in some 
measure develop his own inner natu 



248 SPIRITUAL THSBAPB1 I B 

able to anticipate danger and thus avoid it. There ia 
nothing arbitrary in the scheme of the unii im- 

mutable law shows no favoritism. He who base*] 
hear and eyes to see can walk securely, and those who, 
mentally and spiritually speaking, arc as yet well nigh 
destitute of these fundamental organs of perception 
can by diligent prosecution of befitting metho 
velop these much-to-be desired avenues of information. 

QuEa No. 10. / 
a patients desi 
the person knowing it t 

Ans. It is nol possible for the patient to gel rid of 
any habit unless he makes an effort. But how is the 
patient to be induced to make the effort? As . 
necessary on the patient's part, you must treat him 
with a view tohis making t he effort. You must hi. 
down all indisposition. When persons will not work, 
idleness is t heir disease ; you therefore have to treat for 

idleness. Many treaters fail because they hold their 

patients in error. Th- le down under the 

conviction that their pat I not willing to be con- 

vinced. If you hold any th<- ; idleness over any 

idler it makesliim still more idle; your belief that lie will 
remain in error strengthens the bond of sin around him. 
What we have to do in such cases is to treat ourselves 
for our beliefs concerning our patients. Thai seem 
be the hardest work of all. for many practitioners. They 
oan only with great difficulty obey the wise injunction, 
"Physician, heal thyself." Ladies have often come 
to us and said their mothers or other relatives never 
would accept spiritual truth; there was a statement 
most unspiritual and groundless. Married women have 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 249 

often said : "My husband never will accept the truth." 
What influence do you suppose people exert over their 
companions by entertaining such views of them! If 
they are giving them treatments they are certainly 
malpracticing. A daughter takes to her mother the 
idea that she never will look favorably at certain things, 
and while the daughter is crying over this, her own be- 
lief, the mother is kept in a state of antagonism by the 
unconscious mental influence of the daughter. A wo- 
man going around telling of her husband's untruthful- 
ness, keeps him untruthful, though of course she is not 
aware that her conduct keeps him from improvement. 
If a person is given to drinking or smoking and you tell 
everybody so, though you are not aware of so doing, 
you are keeping the one you wish to see reformed 
under bondage and preventing his reformation. Heal- 
ers must pluck the beams out of their own eyes ere 
they can see clearly to cast the motes out of their 
brother's eyes. It is limitation in ourselves that we 
have to fight against. You can not successfully treat 
any person whom you hold in false belief. You must 
hold no less favorable thought than that your treat- 
ment is inducing the patient to make all necessary ef- 
fort, and treatment does not take genuine and perma- 
nent effect unless patients make efforts themselves to 
hold their lower appetites in rightful subjection, only 
if you always hold good thoughts do you treat in tin 4 
right way. It is certainly easier to lay blame upon 
others than upon ourselves, but Jesus had no patience 
with such self-flattery. Some of his disciples com- 
plained to him that a certain person could not be cured, 
and he said to them in reply : " O ye of little faith I 



250 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

if you have faith ns a grain of mustard seed, you can 
say to mountains, be removed and cast into the 
and it shall be done, and nothing shall be impossible 
with you." If we only break ourselves of this tlet 
able habit of holding our brethren in error, if wc per- 
sistently hold mental pictures of harmony our 
eyes we shall soon be universal publi is. But 
so long as we acknowledge and dwell upon error in 
others, we impose limitations upon them and prevent 
them from making tin they otherwise might in 
the right direction ; we disqualify ourselves from help- 
ing them to make the necessary effort. If our mind 
reaches them it holds them in error, and as mir- 
age erroneous thought concerning others, it hol< 
error. We must not think toward any one. I v 
you would make an effort, but I feel ou will not. 
Encourage only the thought th; them per 
We must Bee mentally whatever we >mp- 
lished already. Just as the cl ure in 
mind before it is put on canvas. It is complet 
tally, before he takes up pencil or brush. So in 
mind of an archifc ' buildir i n. It 
is all completed before the draughtsman touches pen- 
cil, or the Brst stone of the material fabric is la 
before the first really practical and eff step has 
been taken toward the improvement of your patient, 
you must see him in thought perfectly well. By hold- 
ing this mental in the thii 
make him appear well. First,see him perfectly well in 
mind, then set to work to build the external in har- 
mony with the mental design. 

Ques. No. 11. Wha the 

law of Karma ? 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 251 

Ans. Whenever treatment takes effect, it causes 

the patient to make good Karma. If the patient had 
never made any bad Karma in the past, he would not 
be feeling" ill now. Karma manufactured in the past 
has borne fruit in the present. We are what we are in 
consequence of what we have been. Successful treat- 
ment is to so act upon a patient as to cause him to 
make good Karma, and that destroys bad Karma. 
The past being irrevocable, you find d liferent patients 
hi very different conditions of receptivity when you 
first treat them. As you succeed m bringing them out 
of bad conditions you succeed in helping them to make 
good Karma, which is only the Buddhistic name for 
what the Christian calls a good life. You can produce 
the result of good Karma by inducing the patient to 
follow truth instead of error. 

[Note. — Karma, only means consequence, and is a Sanscrit 
term employed chiefly by those designating themselves Theosophists, 
who study Oriental works of mystical import.] 

Ques. No. 12. Is it always possible in the pri 
of development to overthrow crime? 

Ans. If you feel after earnest effort to overcome 
it that it is not possible in the case of a certain patient 
you may conclude that it is no part of your particular 
work to treat that particular patient. We have often 
to make a selection, for we cannot treat everybody. 
If you feel you cannot hold a certain individual in the 
highest and purest thought, then leave the case alone. 
Acknowledge that it may be no part of your special 
work. We have had many experiences where v 
felt: Well, whether adesired result can be attained or 
not, we shall not attempt to decide, but it is clearly no 



252 SPIRITUAL TIIERAPEUTI< 

part of our special work to bring it about. Therefore 
we don't take in hand such a case at all, but are perl, 
ly willing any one should, who feels it is part of his 
mission to do so. We do not know to what extent every 
one can be influenced, but one thing we do knew, and 
that is that we can never influence patients for good 
until we can hold them in the thought of good. When 
we have reached a plane of perl an per- 

haps hold all others on that high level. Tb ins 

to be no definite Karmic limitation mentioned in the 
New Testament. Jesus w; >nishedat lack of faith, 

he wept over Jerusalem and cried," o Jerusalem, Jerus- 
alem, how often would I ha 1 hered thy children 
together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under 
her wings, and ye would hot!" We do not believe 
any one is obliged to make had Karma. We do not 
believe any one is obliged to truth, but all have 
liberty to do so. If we deliberately reject truth when 
presented to us we voluntarily create evil Karma. It' 
it appears that Karma sometimes opera! to pre- 
vent certain persons fron uth, you as healer 
may be perhaps allowed to feel : %% Well, I have <i 
my duty, I must leave results to I Sometii 
you may have to shake dust offyour feet. Jes 
4 Go ye into all the world, preach the gospel to every 
creature/' The preacher mus rayed by no doubt 
as to whether some people can receive his n 
whilst others can not. If we entertain a belief that 
some people cannot he healed, we impose limitat • 
upon ourselves we should be much better without. If 
we do our duty faithfully we shall always he blessed. 
If you undertake some cases and fail, (as you say,) you 



SPIRITUAL TBBRAPKUT1 

do not fail utterly because you have certainly been of 
some use to the person you treated and to humanity 
large. You have sown good seed. Whenever a person 
speaks a good word, though it may Dot make any 
appreciable impression upon the person for whom it 
was intended it effects somebody f< . we know 

era! cases in point, one of which we will quote: Two 
ladies were walking on the street, one of them pleading 
earnestly with the other. A woman whom neither of 
them saw or knew anything about was walking 
behind them, and her whole future was changed by 
what she overheard. AVe never know the extent of 
our audience. AVe cannot tell when treating how many 
minds we are reaching. Do not narrow down your 
treatment to a single patient, but remember always that 
our work is bound to be of service to humanity at large 
in ways too subtle for objective analysis many tin 
Only by doing good toothers can we make good Karma 
for ourselves. 

Ques. Xo. 13. What would he your explanation 
ofjyoison coming from minerals or vegetalli 

Ans. Because of their being improperly used A 
taxidermist finds arsenic very useful in stuffing birds. 
He has no disagreeable thought with regard to arsenic. 
He knows it is not intended for food. He knows if he 
puts it where it does not belong it will become rela- 
tively evil. Every so-called evil thing must be put in 
its own place and allowed to do its appointed work, 
then will it prove itself good in its manner. The 
thought of poison in plants and minerals pro rom 

a derangement in ideas. Everything has its p! 

: tain things fit into certain grooves. When error 



254 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

results discord must have been created. Looking at 
poisons from another point of view Mrs. Grimke says: 
"If there were no calumny in mortal mind there would 
be no arsenic in visible effect." Many say there would 
be no poisonous plants if erroneous states of mortal 
mind had never caused them. Some people kill valu- 
able plants by destructive thoughts, others again s 
tain noxious weeds. We know a lady who can make 
nothing but w grow in h< den. Another 

lady's garden has no weeds. It simply comes to I 
The emanations from the one lady nourish w« i 
while the emanations from the other nourish Bowi 
Of course there is truth in the theory of magnet 
but magnetism is primarily spiritual or mental p<>< 
If any one benefits another by magnetism, it is really 
by mental action or thought transference. Magi 
ism far too often associated with material beliefs which 
convey ideas not in harmony with spiritual science. 
It seems to us that, taking the world as it 
can justly entertain three ideas eoncernin ns . 

In the first place, everything is good provided it is 
rightfully related, and not otherwise. Therefore you 
do not think of eating everything. And if you do not 
eat everything you use, why should you eat certain 
vegetables, or take certain minerals into your s 
Then another view is, that everything is produced in 
obedience to a state of mind we sometimes re< 
but often fail to recognize, and so long as certain 
states of mind continue so long will their expressions 
continue. If we cultivate higher thoughts we shall 
starve out poisonous plants and animals. If such 
gigantic creatures as the mammoth and mastodon no 



SPIRITUAL THEEAPBU1 K>. 255 

longer exist, why should not poisonous inserts, reptiles 
and plants die out i They certainly will ultimately 

disappear under the law of the survival of the Btb 
The third view is that all these things neednol affect or 

move us. We are so far superior to all minerals, veg 
ables and animals that if we only realize our true 
relation to God, and also understand our right relation 
to the inferior or external world, we shall he always 
safe. In treating one who has been poisoned you 
must make your patient fully realize his relation to 
God, he must also realize his relation to the external uni- 
verse. Your relation to your friends in truth is that 
of co-operative harmony. Your relation to angelic 
influences is that of true spiritual communion. But 
your right relation to every form of error is the rela- 
tion of controlling power to the thing controlled. 
Many people talk about mind and matter so as only to 
confound language. They say matter is negative and 
spirit positive, but after they have declared this they 
make spirit negative, and matter positive. They say 
matter can influence mind and make persons ill. They 
affirm that influences below man can overcome man. 
But there can be no real health apart from spiritual 
understanding, the understanding and realization that * 
we are children of God. When we truly realize our 
sonship to the Eternal w r e can completely subdue all 
below us; we are then in a condition not to dread 
reptiles and other creatures equally below us. In that 
state, if a viper lighted upon your arm it could not 
harm you any more than it hurt Paul. Our most 
effective work consists in exorcising demons from our 
own breasts. If we practised stricter self-discipline or 



256 SPIKITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

self control we should soon render ourselves invulner- 
able and no longer care for lower things. We should 
then no longer dread the viper or the upas tree. We 
might remove them for the sake of others, but we 
should ourselves be in no danger from them. When 
we get on the high ground of spiritual victory we have 
outgrown the infantile condition of the mind which, 
being negative even though innocent, rend 
sessor susceptible to <1, 

Ques. No. 14. Do you think 
superior to the universal mind in relation to j 

Ans. There is no universal mind except the mind 
of deity and God's mind is alone infinite; when we trust 
God fully we become one with (rod. One finite mind 
alone can not resist all danger. When you realize your 
relation to God you feel the forceof the words, % * I and 
my Father are one." The infinite can surely overcome 
the finite, but the finite can not vanquish the infinite. 
You say when in the bondage of sense and therefore 
fear the strength of evil, " I am bul one mind contend- 
ing against a host of minds. 93 But is it not for 
you to contend against all there is of finite mind than 
against the infinite mind of God? God is on the 
of health and good, disease is opposed to Him, fear of 
poison is rebellion against the mind of God, or at le 
it is utter distrust of God's sovereignty. Trust in 
God is necessary to our deliverance from fear. If we 
don't trust we remain in fear, because we think of the 
multitude of evil influences about us. But how many 
good angels are there I Are there not more angels 
than devils in the universe} Then why should anyone 
be overcome by evil? Which is the stronger — evil or 



spiritual thesapi 

good 8 Health or disease I Poison or spiritual influx I 

If we only turn our thoughts to angels instead of devils; 
if we only think of the power of God instead of the 
power of evil, we gain the victory. A young man in 
ancient story was affrighted when lie saw the enemy, 
but when he saw the host of God he feared the enemy 
no longer. David never was so strong physically 
Goliath, but when Goliath attempted to light David lie 
was conquered If David had trusted in any other 
power than the divine he could not have conquered 
Goliath. If you have intelligently read Bulwer hvt- 
bon's story, " The Coming Race," you will know that 
the vril he speaks of as being carried in little frail sti< 
by those mysterious people who live under the earth, 
and who he says are to become the future inhabitants 
of the upper world according to that romance is noth- 
ing other than will power. A boy of twelve encoun- 
ters a tremendous monster, but on directing his little 
vril stick towards him, the creature is consumed to a 
cinder. Vril possesses a power like light] 
one who carries it feels that he has indeed a magic staff 
in his hand. We all have a similar feeling when 
realize that in spirit we possess that which can d 
every form of error. Instead of fearing poist 
know that we can give error a dose of truth will 

destroy it instantly. We are never safe till we trust 
entirely in the divine light we derive from the infinite, 
the electric lire of the Holy Spirit. 
Ques. No. 15. To what occult 
pondl 

1 It signifies the human will as superior to the 
animal will. It is generated by the enlightened mine 
17 



258 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

man when man's sixth principle is developed. H man 
exercises his sixth principle nothing can injuriously af- 
fect aim. The human soul (fifth principle) versus the 
animal soul (fourth principle) always conquers, but vril 
is discovered only though the sixth principle (spiritual 
soul), for until reason and intelle illumined from 

above (within) we cannot truly discipline and employ 
our fifth or intellectual principle in subduing the fourth 
and its correspondents, which take in the entire range 
of the animal and yet lower kingdoms; we must unfold 
the higher to guide the nexl l>e]<>w. 

Que& N<> 16. Wh Wherein 

the chief different* helm \et\ Why did 

Paul plod proph Ifier spiritual gif 

('(in weatt <tff<t'nt t<> a development of It / lias 
ogy any connection withgenuim prophetic insight f 

A.\s. The chief difference i prophets and 

priests consists in the fact that the formerare seers, while 
the latter are hut echoes, so far as their teaching is con- 
cerned. This statement is not intended as in any man- 
ner disredpect ful to the priests of anj >n, many of 
whom are noble philanthropists; it simply embodies 
the self-evident conclusion that those who look to an- 
cient canons of authority for all their wisdom, must 
necessarily refuse to allow that the still small v< 
speaking within the soul of each individual is that in- 
dividual's rightful and only absolute guide. 

A prophet is a revelator and an exliorter. Predic- 
tion, in the ordinary sense, is not always true prophetic 
insight; a prophet is not a fortune-teller, but one who 
sees so deeply into the realm of causation and the soul 
of things as to be able to state the Inevitable outcome 



SPIRITUAL THEBAMUTK 

of a certain course of procedure. Prophets know more 

of cause and effect than other people, and ma\ be com- 
pared to men standing on lofty heights, commanding 

an extended view of the surrounding country. Dwell- 
ers in the valleys can only see a. little way before them, 
and thus, through ignorance of where different roads 
lead, make many false steps, and go in the oppo- 
site direction to that in which they need to tread. A 
man on a mountain can call down to them from his ex- 
alted station, and his voice may be that of a true guide 
and savior, because lie is in a position to see whither 
roads tend, the destination of which can be viewed 
only from a lofty elevation. 

True seership is the most practically useful of all pos- 
sible endowments, and therefore Paul eulogized it beyond 
all other gifts. How can we cultivate it, is the impor- 
tant question to answer. It is necessary to retire into 
silence, to give no heed for awhile to external voi< 
to cease interrogating our neighbors, to desist from con- 
sulting the world's oracles, then if we remain mentally 
still for a short time, fixing our thoughts and <1 « 
intently upon the object of our search, we shall learn 
that we have inward eyes and ears, and that spiritual 
voices and divine intuitions can Lead us safely over in- 
numerable difficulties, under which we should, in our 
ordinary condition, sink. 

Prophecy is insight, hindsight and foresight, and is 
in truth nothing other than a penetrative perception of 
the law of necessity. A prophet is not a fatalist, he 
does not affirm that there is a private destiny marked 
out for each human individual. Ee deals with the i 
destiny of man, and with the inevitable sequence of 



2f>0 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

events, which does not at all imply that men and 
women have no power to shape their own ends. 

Ignorance means bondage, while knowledge is indis- 
pensable to freedom. i)v increasing knowledge the 
prophet increases the responsibility of man. as it is 
his sacred mission to so instruct the world thai ignor- 
ance, which aforetime was only weakness, at length 
becomes criminal. 

All true teachers are prophets. It should never be 
our ambition to pry into the future to forestall 

either joy or sorrow, and live as though we were the 
creatures of luck' and not of effort, but to SO learn the 
relations of cause and effect, as they concern our daily 
life, that we may be able to prevent accidents and avert 
catastrophes. To foretell impending doom in a blank 
sense is not edifying, it is depressing and enervating. 
The old adage is true, ■• forewarned is forearmed." If 
Ave know that certain events are likely to trans; 
true seership will enable lis to prepare to meet them. 
By means of it we can conquer obstacles to which, in 
our blindness, we should yield. 

With reference to astrology the words of an enlij 
ened astrologer may be quoted with profit : "The v 
man rules his stars, the fool obeys them." By this it is 
meant that just as meteorology enables coastmen and 
farmers to protect their belongings and secure general 
public safety against the coming of storms, \vl. 
approach can not be warded oiT, so those who are 
warned by intuition or clairvoyance may be in a con- 
dition to guard against wrecks <>r disasters, which need 
not follow if proper precautions are taken, but which 
must inevitably supervene unless some skillful mind is 



SPIRITUAL TIIEKAPKl'TU & ggl 

ready against an emergency. True prophecy calls at- 
tention to the leak in the vessel or the bole in the root 

It detects it and proclaims the direful results which 
must inevitably ensue if it be not attended to in time. 

A true prophet would deliver his mebsage to captain, 
engineer, or other officer in charge of boat or train, 
and, by foreseeing danger, stave it off, and thus win 
the lasting thanks and honors of a saved multitude ; or 
if his message were unheeded, the doom which befell 
those who refused to hear, would be a calamity for 
which they had only their own obstinate obduracy to 
blame. 

Qubs. Xo. 17. An eminent occult student i 
private letter, says: Everything in natun to those 

things involved therein, hence pain is as real 
Will you please explain the discrepancy between this and 
your teaching {if there is any)? 

Axs. Innumerable controversies have arisen in 
consequence of persons using one word in several oppo- 
site senses. The word real is certainly susceptible of 
more than one definition. "When in the highest meta- 
physical sense, Spirit is spoken of as the only reality, 
while matter is declared to be unreal, the thought in- 
tended to be conveyed is that Spirit alone is eternal. 
Xow pain may appear as real as pleasure on the exter- 
nal or sense plane of existence, but we must never for- 
get that our sensations are transitory, and so fai 
they appear to arise from external things, they can not 
be everlasting. Pain as a sensation may be regarded 
a3 an educator, we do not necessarily disagree with 
those who call it the voice of an alarmist bidding u* 
to what is wrong, that having our attention called 



262 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

thereto, we may rectify an error. As to saying pain is 
as real as we are, we consider it a most unscientific 
statement, unless by " we " is meant simply the lower 
or earthly nature which the higher and abiding " we" 
hope some day to outgrow. If we arc replying to a 
student of theosophical literature ihoold ask him 

to consider pain as an emotion of the inferior princi- 
ples in. the constitution of man. The higher principle 
does not and can not sutl'nvisii never errs or sins, and pain 
is a penalty, educational, redemptive, necessary we admit, 
when we have fallen into error, but the higher princi- 
ple does not fall into crmr, and consequently neither 
needs nor endures such reformatory chastening. A 
brief oonsideral ion of the three distinct principles which 
enter into the constitution of man, and of which we 
are all more or less deeply conscious, may throw some 
light on this seemingly perplexing problem. We 
intellectual beings, are living between ti bual and 

the animal in us, and suffering is occasioned by the 
struggle or conflict continually going forward in us 
well as around us. Paul graphically describes this 
in the seventh chapter of his epistle to the Romans, 
which may be very profitably studied in this com 
tion. We shall undoubtedly all Buffer pain until we 
no longer require such discipline; pain therefore, in 
its place is good, it serves an end, and when it> t» 
made plain it is no longer the hopeless enigma it was 
previously. We must outgrow a condition which ne 
sitates suffering, and true spiritual treatment assists us 
to do so. A right treatment helps a patient to grow, 
mentally and morall} 7 . 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTI< 

Ques. 18. Do you agree icith th< following from the 
same writer f God is not only lore and wU ttigi not but 
He i f/nny that exists on earthand am/wh 

and effect are one and the sa/m can 

not be separated. Man and Godaret/u sa/me^ 
physical nature is as holy and saws d a i t lie. 

The points raised in the foregoing statement, which 
is not a question but an assertion, are far too profound 
and numerous to be entered into here at any length. 
We regard the statement as decidedly pantheistic, and 
as we are not pantheists we fail to endorse it in tot . 
the same time the ultimate of such assertion is agreeable 
to the genius of an enlightened philosophy, and cannot 
be said to differ from the Xew Testament doctrine that 
the human body is God's temple. In essence every- 
thing must be divine, there can be no other life than 
the one infinite life which is the life of God. Such a view 
is calculated to elevate rather than depress our view of 
existence, and is therefore largely beneficial. We must 
get to the root of all things to find their real divinity. 
We must touch the bed rock in the nature of oar pa- 
tients before Ave can treat them successfully, and were 
we called upon to treat a person holding the opinions 
under review, we should scarcely seek to supplant 
them. All is good; there is no evil, is ultimately true 
in every instance. 

Ques. No. 19. Why is it that men t 
mercenary as they advance in life ? Gi m rot* 
i,oi] t c stingy men. 

Why are we so sordid, and why do we gr\ 

If we are all spirit^ why such earthly natures ? 



2G4 SPIRITUAL T&ERAPBOTl 

Ans. We must never forget that so long as we 
subject to mortal influence at all, we shall remain to 
some degree the creatines of our surroundings. While 
the supreme truth concerning man as an immortal spir- 
itual entity is that he is pure spirit, we should not allow 
our eyes to close against 1 lie fact that we have a mortal 
mind to educate and develop, until it becomes the lit I 
channel for the expression of the inmost or highest 
principle of our nature. The lower principle or ani- 
mal soul in us is not essentially or intrinsically evil. 
It is, indeed, vet I when rightfully subjected 

to the higher principle, and our earthly discipline 
can only be said to be complete when this lo 
nature is completely Bubservienl to the higher. Now, 
this lower principle is the nature we share in com- 
mon with the animals, all of whom, without 
ception, manifest a lower ty] ffection than that 

which bespeaks the spiritual man. Self interest, self- 
preservation, love of approbation and particular re- 
gard for those who bestow favors en them are marked 
characteristics of man v, if not all the lower creature! 
who serve US and with whom w< . Now, in 

man these animal traits are always conspicuous until 
the loftier spiritual manhood pertaining to the higher 
principle, which animals do not share with man. is made 
manifest. What then is the sordidness of which 
many complain? Surely it is nothing more or other 
than an intense, indeed, an overweening regard for 
one's personal comfort and social standing and that of 
one'sfamily, without thought or regard for the equal ad- 
vantages due to others. " Thou shah love thy neighbor 
as thyself/' introducing as it does, the singular number 



SPIRITUAL THEKAPKUH 265 

in both cases, suggests to every attentive mind that the 
command, when fully interpreted, tells us that it is our 
duty to recognize all men and women as our brothers 
and sisters, even to the extent of acting out the sublime 
principle of fraternity, so far as to think no more of 
our individual prosperity, than that of any other human 
unit in the great mass we call society. This is where 
spiritual science, or true theosophy, antagonizes human 
selfishness and calls forth the bitterest and most scorn- 
ful denunciation from selfish and self -sufficient egotists, 
who will not tolerate the assertion that the rights of 
our common humanity must never be set aside to favor 
the caprice of an ambitious individual. If we can hut 
grasp, in some measure, the glorious idea of God's uni- 
versal parenthood, we have a base on which to build 
securely a sound philosophy of human brotherhood and 
sisterhood. But until this conviction becomes deep 
enough in every heart to make it the moving principle, 
the mainspring of all conduct — until man becomes 
angelic enough to live in the love of heaven, caring 
more for his brethren than for himself — not, indeed, 
neglecting his own culture or disregarding his own 
needs, hut placing himself in such relation to all his 
neighbors as to consider any two human entities of 
twice the value of one, even though himself be the 
unit under consideration — until then, the love of hell, 
which is nothing other than inordinate self-love, greater 
regardfor self than for neighbor will continue to plunge 
men and nations into all the awful depths of crime 
and convulsive throes of anarchy, which at the present 
moment so sadly terrify and depress many gentle and 
most amiable persons. Xow, the only possible remedy 



%GQ SPIRITUAL THERAI'KITI' 

for these gigantic evils, ail springing from human self- 
ishness, is a purely spiritual, but at the same time in- 
tensely practical system of moral education. Moral 
education need not lead to I, and it certainly 

does not tend bo fanaticism in any direction. It is purely 
and simply the culture of the higher dispositions of our 
nature, and by a constant direction of all our 
toward spiritual growth, instead of to ward the accumu- 
lation of earthly property, it diverts the mind from 
selfish dreams of personal aggrandizement and B 
eye of ambition on the shining mark of spiritual ad- 
vancement. False standards of wealth and honor easily 
corrupt the morals of youth. Fine houses, extern 
lands, elegant equipages, handsome clot 
jewels, these and many like vanities are regarded as the 
highest good by multiti :.<! why? Sur 

cause, as a rule, we all show respect to those in afflu 
circumstances, while we sho- e of 

far greater moral and mental worth who have not 
these baubles to display. Riches exert a powerful 
psychological hold on the minds of men and women, 
because of their immense purchasing po\i id what 

can they not purchase in society as at present organ- 
ized 1 If they could only buy collateral advant; 
an external kind, many who now dote on them would 
at once despise them. But alas, they purchase in 
many instances the respect, esteem and homage which 
by rights belong only to superior character. When 
our standard of value is reversed and we esteem ) 
pie for what they are, not for what they have, this 
sordidness must disappear like murky vapors before the 
day dawn. Many men who seem intensely sordid iu 



SPIRITUAL THKRAPEUT* 267 

business circles are most kind and lovable at home, and 
try to live up to the Golden Rule; the world's tempta- 
tions in the commercial sphere are however so Btrong 

that they succumb. Let it be our work to reform pub- 
lic sentiment so as to deliver such from evil. 

Ques. No 20. What influence is it that prompts 

noble men and women to so far interest therm 

to martyrdom and violent deaths, in the momentous 
questions of the day — to the advocacy of Anarch 
America and Nihilism in Russia. Is not tht ir devotion 
to these causes of disruption a misinterpreted inspirar 

Hon ? 

Axs. We regard the persons referred to as 
blundering reformers, many of them without doubt 
are endeavoring, as best they know how, to correct 
prevalent abuses, but so under the dominion of the 
lower principle are they, that they fail altogether to 
detect the only true means, whereby reform can be 
brought about. Co-operation, not competition, is the 
natural order. Children are falsely instructed when 
led to gratify an emulous ambition to rise above others. 
Poverty is quite unnecessary in America, but it will 
never be fully abolished as long as the wage system con- 
tinues. This old system, a relic of feudal institutions, 
can not, however, be swept away by violent , dona 

on the part of laborers upon the persons and po- 
of capitalists. Reform can only be attained through 
processes of social and industrial evolution. Anarchism 
andXihilismare the children of despotism. They arc the 
offspring of systems of injustice and inhumanity which 
r e birth to desperadoes, who destroy their own parents. 
Evil invariably destroys itself. In these times of 



268 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

cessively rapid motion the work of destruction is 
accomplished by violent measures and at a high rate of 
speed. The chemicalization of error must needs con- 
tinue until every vestige of selfishness and animality is 
purged from human thought and affection, and while 
w$ may bemoan the measures taken to rectify wro 
and leave no stone unturned to show our erring breth- 
ren the better way, the only proper attitude to be taken 
in these days of angry revolt is thai error in destroy- 
ing itself is manifesting its true inwardness. We may 
learn from present disasters how absolutely necessary 
for the maintenance of social order and domestic pe; 
are the spiritual truths, which ai« _• the at- 

tention of profound thinkers throughout the world. 
One evil may destroy another, as our poison may be 
an antidote to another, hut it takes an enunciation and 
demonstration of the principle of tr to up- 

build a republic of the nations, in which every citizen 
will enjoy a comfortable competency as the reward of 
his own industry, which is possible immediately the 
demon of selfishness isoasl onl of mind. 

Ques. No. 21. To a p >/ios< happinei 

the higher sort on earth hash the 

( ,r< rcise of the aff\ ctions^ doi s it j '"it nothing 

this is preservable in our futurt staU 
ings which have a din ct re > to n llgious or 

iial philosophy t Ts not l 

Ans. All true affection is spiritual, and therefore 
immortal, but surely none will deny that much that is 
called love is nothing but self-love. If we love oth 
in a purely earthly manner by reason of the happiness 
they give us, our affection can not pertain to the im- 



Sl'IKllTAL TUERAFEUTK 

mortal state, but if we love one another purely and 
unselfishly wo may take the words of Jesus, recorded 
in the fourteenth chapter of the Fourth Gospel, and 

apply them to every human case. Individuality is the 
basis of life. We do not teach or believe that a time 
will ever come when the soul's identity will be lost. 
Neither do we anticipate a day when those who are 
truly related in spirit will be forced asunder. Darby 
and Joan, who after fifty years of wedded bliss arc 
dearer to each other than on their wedding day, can 
surely with confidence look forward to a continuation 
of their mutual love beyond the grave, while tli 
whose affections are sensual and selfish will assuredly 
drift apart and eventually discover that what they called 
love on earth was only a delusive chimera. Unhappi- 
ness in married life comes from inordinate exaction on 
one side or the other. The true spiritual scientist must 
not demand affection or live to be blessed, but bestow 
affection and work to bless others. Angelic love is all 
unselfish, the love of heaven that seeks no return is 
the love that reaps so glorious and plenteous a harvest, 
that indescribable bliss fills those souls to overflowing 
who, thinking not of any reward, find the truth of the 
statement, most perfectly exemplified in their expe- 
rience, that to give is more blessed than to receive. If 
our affections are of the earth we must be wounded 
through them, as, being mortal they must die, and we 
-utTer in their death if we cling to them. All 
affection is eternal. 

Qob8. No. 22. What is faith t Is ii 
(hat ilu patient hoot faith in tlu heaU 



270 SPIRITUAL TIIKKAl'KLTICS. 

Ahs. Faith, from the Latin which gives 09 

the English word fidelity, docs not by any means 
nify that blind credulity or unreasoning belief, which 
many people mo erroneously dignify with the name of 
faith. In the oldHebrev of the word, faith in- 

variably meant integrity, and thus the upright man 
was always styled the man of faith, in business cir- 
cles, rather than in religious ones, we find this word 
still employed in its nncorrupted meaning; no etymolo- 
gist would so far misemploy it as to identify it with 
gullibility. Faith is a grace, a moral excellence, a virtue 
of the highest ethical importance Belief is secondary 
to faith and has a value quite distinct from faith, faith 
relating to the purpose of >ra a moral standpoint j 

while belief can be only a m >f intellectual con* 

viction at most. Tor line faith of a patient 

is to demand nothing unreasonable, as it is only to 
quire honesty of purp 

as to belief, no reasonable per another to 

believe without sufficient evidence, as he himself cap 
not yield assent to any unproven proposition. It is not 
virtuous to believe, neith< ous to disbelii 

When a stranger makes his app and puts out 

his Bign in anew oity,the inhabitants rightly inquire into 
his credentials before they take him into their famil 
So, when a novel theory com- world, w 

people neither endorsi nderan it off hand, they 

earnestly and dispassionately investigate it. J *;i t i< 
are often tired of experimenting with medicine. They 
have suffered much at the hands of various schools of 
practice, and hearing of wh; s to them a new 

and wonderful method of healing, especially when im- 



SPIBTTUAL THBBAPEUTICS. L'Vl 

poriuned by friends to do so, they are quite willing 

ami often anxious to give it a trial. Such people can 
not approach a mental or spiritual healer in perfect 
confidence that his system is the only true one, nor 
can they feel absolutely sure of receiving benefit, unless 
some very strong influence or evidence is brought to 
hear upon them to produce such a result. Now a h< 
er should not crave impossibilities or endeavor to exact 
what is unreasonable from an inquirer. Let the works 
speak for themselves. Let faith follow rather than 
precede demonstration. If anyone expects another to 
believe in him,he must generate and dispense an influence 
which compels grateful recognition at the hands of the 
sick and sorrowful, and the true healer invariably 
does this. You have doubtless all felt a subtile, 
pervasive atmosphere surrounding particular peo- 
ple, a "virtue" going forth from them in some 
indescribable manner, reaching and blessing you, 
which has compelled you to acknowledge that 
they are dispensers of a power which ordinary peo- 
ple seem not to convey. Xow if you are in so 

b manner attracted to a healer it is because he has 
already treated you and you have felt the beneficial 
result, which always accompanies and follows the 
establishment of harmony in your mental Bph< 
Some people possess this gift in marvelous degree, and 
only those -who can help others unconsciously by reason 
of this helpful force going from them to others, are 
really well adapted to become professional heal 
in. many lines of business good address go 
way, and persons of considerable intelli are 

frequently unfit for prominent positions where tl 



272 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC*. 

have to constantly meet and converse with many people, 
because of their lack of all that make up what 

is commonly called "good address," so a public healer 
who would make healing* his life work, as physicians 
devote themselves to the pratice of medicine, should 
invariably be one who can inspire confidence and 
regard in the great majority of the sufferers he 
encounters or who come to him lor advice and [ft 
ment. What is often regarded as necessary on the 
patient's part is at first inseparable from certain qualifi- 
cations in the healer eesen I ial to induce it, so while often- 
times stumbling blocks may be placed by the patient 
in the way of his own re by his own obdurate 

bigotry or folly, it fi y happens thai the u too 

little faith" is in the healer as well as in the patient. 
The GrOSpel narratives amply illustrate this fact, 
they record a vari- < failed 

to heal because of their own imperfe* while many 

otlr -!' the fault being on tin- 

side of the invalids. Faith <>!' tie 
on both sides. Tl i well groum 

in spiritual conviction, as to be above the doubts and 
fears which so readil dinary individ 

while the paitent often needs that stimulation of faith 
which contact with a I ►uglily convinc* 

frequently supplies. Prejudices musl he laid as 
the patient must endeavor to let go of bigotry and :_ 
the healer a fair field, though a true healer asks 
favors. Faith in the sense of belief is a response to a 
blessing already received, while faith in its deeper 
sense means perfect straightforwardness, honesty in 
thought, word and action. If you iind yourselves in- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 873 

spiring confidence in yourself and the system you ad- 
vocate, even among people who have hitherto been 
totally indifferent and skeptical if not positively 

antagonistic to spiritual methods of healing, you have 
evidence that from you has gone forth to them a force 
as palpable to their interior sense as a flower's fragrance 
is to your exterior sense of smell. When you can arouse 
foith in all its meanings in those to whom you fain 
would minister, you are showing indisputable credentials 
vouching for your genuine ability to heal. 

Ques. No. 23. r hut is chemicalization? Is it 
ssary stage In wnfoldmentt 

Axs. Chemicalization is equivalent to crisis and 
ferment, it occurs when new thoughts are actively 
engaged in conquering old opinions. All physicians 
speak much of crises and declare them to be the turn- 
ing points in the conditions of their patients. Chemi- 
calization is often inevitable though no one is justified 
in assuming that it is invariably necessary, for many 
cases have been known to yield instantly to spiritual 
power, without the patient suffering anything of the 
nature of a crisis. To explain the workings of the 
various forces, all operating upon a patient, from most 
discordant sources, would require a lengthy discourse, 
and, as in reply to a question, we can do little mora 
than hint at the solution of a complex problem, we must 
request our readers to ponder our remark long and 
carefully, that by setting their minds upon the subject 
under consideration they may induce a mental Bl 

arable to the reception of ideas through their own 
interior avenues of perception. We all speak and hear 
much of t lie force of habit, and those of us who an 
18 



274 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

all familiar with psychological influence, must be more 

or less aware that when a practice, be it desirable or 
undesirable, gains powerful hold over a person's mind, 
it is in consequence of a (usually unconscious) establish 
ment of psychical relations between his mind and the 
minds of others. Let us look for a moment at habits 
and their formation. Almost without exception habits 
arc forced on sensitive people, very young people, and 
children in particular, from without, they seem rarely to 
be evolved from within. Many of the most pernicious 
practices to which men are addicted, do not seem indi- 
genous to the natural mind, they are artificially induced 
through contact with people who influence tl 
younger and in sonic resp< eaker than themse] 

Drinking and smoking as w ell as the filthy and detest- 
able habit of chewing tobacco, with many other forms 
of impropriety, arc usually pressed upon a boy by older 
companions, into the net of whose vile mesmeric fascina- 
tion he is ignorantly drawn. Whenever one does any- 
thing one feels to be degrading or even unpleasant, 
because of an outside influence urging him to do it, lie 
is 3 r ielding to a psychological influence of the l>. 
sort and forming mental associations of th< 
dangerous character, from whose grasp he may 
find it difficult in the extreme to struggle i'wc in 
future years. As men follow each other in paths 
of vice so do even virtuous women follow each 
other in the paths of folly, and in many things allow 
themselves to be led wholly by some stupid fashion 
or prevailing custom, which in their hearts they thor- 
oughly despise. These weak yieldings to extraneous 
influence so far impoverish the will and render people 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUT* 

unnaturally susceptible to every foul thing about them, 

that when they least expect it they find themselves 

rtaken with some pestilential, though fashionable 

■ausc prevalent, disorder. Now when spiritual four 
operates to break the chains and loosen the bonds which 

hold the prisoner captive in the clutches of degrading 
error, a conflict ensues, the devil sti to keep his 

prize in his embrace, while theChrist works t<> take his 
victim from him. Many instances in tlie New Testa- 
ment forcibly illustrate this experience. Take the 
unclean spirits tearing the demoniacs when the; 
out of them. You probably all know the ancient 
Oriental theory of disease, it was invariably attributed 
to the action of powers of darkness, and tl 
the bonds of wickedness and delivering people i v 
demoniacal possession (a process often called exorcism) 
played a very conspicuous part in all Eastern methods 
of healing. ITodern Spiritualism has thrown much 
light on some of these ancient records by starting a 
theory of obsession, which is practically identical with 
the old belief in demoniacal possession. Such theor 
while they are not wholly true and are terribly 
to exaggeration, being frequently pressed so far as to 
make them ridiculous as well as dangerous, neverthe] 
contain sufficient truth to explain much which would 
be utterly incomprehensible without their aid. Chem- 
icalization is simply a modern expression recognizi 
exorcism in a more intelligent form. I is 

now being greatly modified in ail enlightened circles 
where psychology is receiving the attention it desen 
We can readily see how all the influences which tend 
to degrade man may have been massed together by 



276 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

ancient philosophers, who styled them collectively man's 
"evil genius," and how all of an elevating char- 
acter have been similarly massed and designated "good 
genius." Now the true spiritual healer stands to the 
patient as a representative of the good genius, while all 
that opposes his enlightenment and recovery stands in 
the attitude of evilgenius. The struggle for ascendency 
between the true and the false, the wise and the foolish, 
confidence and fear, love and hate, etc.. is chemicaliza- 
tion. 

Ques. No. 24. Gem y ent in us any other 

tain method ofdi Vi loping the i ruitfuln 

nature than lhat which is laidd 
where the 2>h f j*< r ''l cmd intellectual 
fallal to bring spiritual lift to light t Isth< th>- 

ologieal on < <K 
ism" which has or can cha 

(7. e. passion^ n is n > that freedom qfsj 

and soul which was promised and i 
Holy Spirit through faith \ whoal 

ever claimed to do the will 

Ans. AVe do not pretend to give any teachings in 
opposition to those contained in the New Te 
ment. It is simply our desire to arrive at the spiritual 
truth enshrined in its letter instead of clinging to its 
outward husk that causes us to take issue with prevail- 
ing orthodox opinions. Our view of Scripture is that 
all ancient Scriptures which have been and still are 
highly venerated by multitudes, in their letter reflect 
the general sentiment of the times in which thev \vi 
written, but in their spirit thev deal with essential 
truths of vital moment to mankind at all times and 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC 277 

everywhere. Now as to a certain method of developing 
our moral nature, we should most decidedly b 
ground that it can only be developed at all by a una 
and determined effort of will in the direction of 

development, and by will we mean affection putting 

forth an effort to reach its object. In the Athanasian 
Creed the opening words Quicumque vult signify who- 
ever wills or earnestly desires salvation must hold to 
the universal faith, and it has always been a tenet of 
Christianity that the will must be perfectly surrendered, 
and that lovingly (not through fear) to the Divine Will, 
or salvation, for which regeneration is but another 
word, is impossible. Now it is a self-evident conclu- 
sion reached by all students of human nature that noth- 
ing can be successfully accomplished in any direction 
apart from persistent effort in that direction. The 
must be directed toward the cultivation of muscle, in- 
tellect or art, or culture in those lines is impossible. 
The only unpardonable sin is blasphemy against the 
Holy Spirit, which means a deliberate steeling of 
one's affections against truth. It is certainly a correct 
view to take of education that mere secular training is 
by no means adequate to secure the highest welfare 
humanity, but spiritual culture is not brought about by 
dogmatic theology or by the enforcement of creeds, 
but solely by the influence of moral suasion in its 
highest sense. As to changing a soul from slavery to 
sin, to a state of freedom and righteousness, we should 
pronounce all creeds and institutions inadequate to the 
accomplishment of this divine work, which can only 
brought about by the liberation of the spiritual man 
from bondage to the mortal belief which make: 



278 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

an abiding reality, a potent force in the universe, either 
personal or otherwise, and thereby creates a dread of 
its power. To destroy all fear of evil and all belief in 
its potency is to deliver men from its clutches. We 
yield universally to what we fear as well as to what we 
love, and where the love of sin appears not t . the 

fear of it, and particularly the dread of its cdi 
quences, leads to its commission, not through deliberate 
intent, but through weakness, which is always at one 
with abject susceptibility. As to faith in the Son of 
God, we can understand theSwedenborgianex] 
that Ave must be adjoined to tJie Lord by affectidtt for 
good, but the ordinary evangelical interpretation of 
faith is to our mind extremely unsatisfactory. Faith 
means fidelity to conviction, and springs from love of 
truth, not from a mere intellectual assent to proposi- 
tions of truth. As to the forgn i >f sin, sin n< ver 
is forgiven in the old ecclesiasl ical sense. It hi b to be 
outgrown in every sense, and to forgive it as Jesus for- 
gave is to destroy the love of il and prevent itsr ^com- 
mission, not at all to deliver the one who hasalready 
committed it from the reformatory penalty. 

Ques. No. 25. Pleasi explai 
practical teaching of Christian^ Men 
Science when, freed from the points of dffi 
which 8% vrtii % wrangU t 

Ans. Probably most, if not all our readers arc quite 
well acquainted with the names " Christian Science," 
"Mental Science" and "Spiritual Science." Metaphys- 
ical healing is now practiced under these different names 
all over the world. The essential truth presented by 
this system is that mind is entirely sovereign, mat 



SPIRITUAL THERAPBUTK 

being totally subservient to it. All take tin* ground 
which has been taken by philosophers from time imme- 
morial, that all is mind, ami therefore there is no n 
tor. This statement is certainly astounding to the gatf 
of an ordinary listener. The statement in one sense 
appears groundless, because it seems to destroy all our 
confidence in our senses. But when we realize that all 
that is necessarily implied in such a statement is, that 
there can be no effect without a cause adequate to p 
duce it, and that all material things are simply phenom- 
enal effects, while there is a great spiritual power he- 
hind everything, we are only called to look upon the 
external universe as the shadow of the spiritual, which 
is the substantial universe. The substantial is immor- 
tal; it can never die or fade a way. The shadow comes 
and goes, while eternal stability portions only to that 
which is as deathless as the Eternal Being who has 
spoken all things into existence. 

Now, when man realizes himself as one with eternal 
life, he knows that the only life of which lie can be con- 
scious is the one life which fills immensity, there being 
no void nor emptiness anywhere. Our views of life 
are hereby lifted entirely above the material plane. We 
are carried in thought beyond all perishable forms of 
clay and made to realize that we are spirit, thai we all 
belong to one great family, and that we have — in the 
last analysis of our subject — no parent except the 
eternal God, and no destiny except to enjoy conscious 
relation with the eternal soul of all life forever. 

The word metaphysical means beyond physics, and 
Pilfer. It reallv means, in its fullest 
everything included in the vast domain of what 
beyond the reach of the physical 



280 SPIRITUAL TIIKKAPIXTICS. 

While metaphysicians do not call themselves The- 
osophists or Spiritualists, and do not take any sectarian 
name, or join with any particular creed or party, 
may safely say that their universal object is to investi- 
gate the realm of soul, and learn all they can concerning 
spiritual being, to distinguish between outward exist- 
ence, which is at the very best transitory and evanescent, 
and that being which is eternal and immortal, which 
never changes, and can never pass away 

As the word theology literally means the Bcienc 
God, and of all things divine, as truly as geology means 
the science of the earth, or of terrestrial things in gen- 
eral, equally may we affirm that spiritual science means 
the science of the spiritual man, the science of the spir 
itual universe, yes, and the sciena i >r there 

is no sublimer and olearer definition of the Supreme 
Being to be found in any literature, ancienl or modern, 
than in John's gospel, where Jesus, in conversation 
with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, dee] 
''God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must wor- 
ship him in spirit and in truth. n 

Now when the Jews and Samaritans were disputing 
among themselves whether God should be worshiped 
in the temple at Jerusalem, or from the top of the 
mountain where the ruined temple of the Samaritans 
was still standing, Jesus said practically: It matters 
not whether in the temple at Jerusalem, or on this 
mountain-top; whether in the open desert, or in the 
solitude of your own inner chamber; whether in the 
crowded streets and busy thoroughfares dedicated to 
places of business, or in halls devoted to amusement. 
You can worship God everywhere by doing all things 
to the glory of God. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 281 

Now, the real object of metaphysical instruction is 
to help people to put into practice Paul's affirmation 
that we should pray without ceasing. We can do 
things to the glory of God, whether we eat Of drink, 
or whatever we do. It does not need to he explained 
that God does not need anything at our hands, God 
is never hungry nor thirsty, nor in want of any kind; 
we can not minister directly unto Him, l>ut His 
children all around us are in need, and when we g 
to them we are presenting an acceptable offering to 
the Eternal Being, who can only be pleased as we 
bless the children of His love, who are our brethren 
as well as His children. 

We agree with all true Theosopbists who explain 
that the basis of Theosophy is universal brotherhood, 
and that all true philosophy must be built upon this 
one foundation. We must recognize the unity and 
brotherhood of the entire human race, so that every 
man is our brother and every woman our sUter. We 
must not only believe, we must fed this, and there can 
be no true metaphysical work done so long as we un- 
duly respect wealth or even intellect ; so long as we 
divide ourselves into aggressive knots and groups and 
parties, looking down upon some as inferior, while we 
regard others as superior; so long as we look to the 
outward form and fashion of men; so long as we care 
for a long line of hereditary descent, for what is com- 
monly called blue blood flowing in our veins; so long 
as we reverence the god of gold, to which s<> many bow 
in servile adoration ; so long as we care tor vain fash- 
ions and frivolities, and consequently raise our \<> 
in concert with the multitude, " Givat is Diana of the 



282 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

Ephesians," if she be the popular deity of the hour, we 
may be spiritual scientists in abstract belief, but we 
shall ignominiously fail in practice. But when we learn 
to truly respect ourselves so as to live in accordance 
with the light which shines in the innermost re< 
of the soul, when we direct our path by the voice 
which speaks within us, then we shall be free ind< 
free in truth, and our freedom will not consist only in 
freedom from the fear of (hath, but also from sickn 
and the recognition of death altogether. 

It may sound Btrange to many persons, even if they 
have read Mrs, Eddy's work, u Science and Health," to 
be told that there is in reality neither death, si 
ness nor sin in all the universe; but w< 
learn to look away from all things perishable to divine 
realities; We must learn to find within man that which 

is alone enduring, which is never sick and never suf 

J'ers, even the divine soul which never dies. It 
tainly sounds very strange to be told th no sin. 

no sickness, no death, while we many prisons 

and reformatories, which cause us to say with much 
show of reason, kk It is, indeed, a reality that sin 
abounds/' While hospitals are tilled with sick- people, 
is not sickness a reality! Is not death a reality when 
we are requested again and again to officiate at funeral 
services, and cemeteries are Idled with dead bod 
But we ask, what is it that sins? What is it that suf- 
fers? What is it that dies? It can only be an external 
adjunct to man. Man surely is a deathless entity who 
can neither sin, nor be sick, nor die. 

This great truth concerning man is surely appre- 
hended, or, at least, vaguely recognized, when we talk 



SPIRITUAL THEBAP] 

of our better moments. We all realize that we bav< 
higher self, and we all talk of our better moments. 

What are we talking of, if not of our real, cardinal 
nature, which is the foundation of all our existence^ h 
not this our true and imperishable being) And ; 
not desirable that we should become practically oblivi- 
ous to external things, for the sake of more fully appre- 
ciating the real and ever living spirit that we arc here 
and now 1 

We shall not become spiritual entities after we have 
dropped the mortal form. We shall not go to a spirit- 
ual world when these mortal forms have passed into 
dust. We shall not then become the sons of God, but 
we are such, here and now, and when our mortal 
forms have passed away nothing will have passed from 
us save an outward garment of flesh. 

Xow, when we undertake to treat patients in har- 
mony with spiritual science, we find ourselves oblig 
to direct the patient's thoughts away from external 
things altogether; therefore, instead of dwelling con- 
tinually on outward signs and symptoms, instead of 
highly regarding the body, and always quizzing it to 
find out, if possible, in what condition it may be; 
instead of administering medicine at certain hours, and 
endeavoring to keep a room at a regulation tempera- 
tore, and performing a variety of outward ceremoi 
we know that liberation from disease is to get out of 
the thought of these material works, and forget, ;it 
least for the time being, that there is anytfa 
external. 

Xow, in order to get out of the external we must 
get into the spiritual. You can not think of nothing. 



284 SPIHITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

you can not long do nothing. Every person will 
occupy himself in some way, if not profitably, then 
mischievously. Our minds will never remain still, and 
therefore to say we must not think of matter, we must 
not regard the flesh, and leave the statement in 
unfinished a form is to preach a doctrine which prac- 
tically means nothing, brcause no man can long com- 
ply with its requirements. But when we say, " Fix 
your thought upon spiritual form; maintain that all 
is life, all is good; look within, take a glance at your 
own immortal soul, and find yourself lace to face with 
the stupendous reality of spiritual being," we know 
that your mental an be BO riveted upon the 

immortal that you will completely forget the mortal. 
Your whole thought will he concentrated on tlie 
eternal, and so you will become unmindful of the 
material, and of all outside the interior realm, where 
your higher coi less forever dwells secure. 

Speaking of outward aids to interior development, 
many people inquire,"Of what possible use can a talis- 
man be?" We do not ourselves believe that sacred 
words have any efficacy of their own resting in them. 
But as for thousands of years people have worn or 
otherwise employed them, as many dews have placed 
texts of Scripture in little houses, upon their foreheads, 
and upon their arms, that they might he perpetually 
reminded of divine truth; and while among enlight- 
ened Jews there never was a time when the tephilin 
were considered of talismanic value, they being only 
used as reminders of great spiritual truths, so all out- 
ward assistants are, from a metaphysical standpoint, 
regarded as valuable only in so far as they direct the 



SPIRITUAL THKBAPBUT] 

thought to a desired object. The words, "Hear, 
Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One," whenever 

their eyes lighted upon the Hebrew oharacl 

they wore, would remind them of the great central 
truth of all religion, the Divine l/nity. So when we 
are giving treatment either verbally or silently, by 
presenting a thought we direct attention to a certain 
plane of idea. Now if you look upon illuminated texts 
such as " Honesty is the best policy," or u Charity never 
failetb," or "Do unto others as you would that they 
should do unto you," you are at once reminded of truth 
which perhaps you had temporarily forgotten. If in a 
church a prayer is spoken or a hymn sung in your 
hearing, you are reminded of what perhaps you had 
forgotten in the multiplicity of your household can 

While it is impossible for us to do any work for our 
brethren in their stead, we can assist them to arise and 
work for themselves. The great work of the truly effi- 
cient metaphysical healer is the work of one who is 
continually presenting to a patient or student the line 
in which thoughts should march. When a line of 
march is indicated to us. when the right way is 
pointed out, and a voice says to us. "This 
the way; walk ye in it," there comes along with the 
pointing a subtle, restraining and inducing power ; it is 
not mesmeric; it is not psychologic in any ordinary 
sense; it is not one mind controlling or exercis 
authority over another; for the true metaphysical 
healer is an educator, an enlightener of his brethn 
for when we undertake to place truth before our 
patient, we desire to make that patirnt realize it and 
follow in that way which is pointed out to him by his 
newly awakened sense of spiritual discernment. 



280 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

Spiritual science proclaims liberty for the individual 
enlightened by truth, to walk in the light of the truth 
as he himself perceives it. Multitudes of people love 
truth, but have not yet perceived it very clearly. Mul- 
titudes are longing to see .some brighter ray befi 
them, to heai' a voice direct ing them where to go, and 
to discern a hand pointing in the true direction, 
and it is to help all such, to help all who | 
straggling into light, that we should work. 

Ques. No.26. I! intby Metaphy 

Healing^ and / 
How cni prayi r heal t) 

In reply to t\ n earring question, wha 

meant by raetaphy i nd what are the means 

by which cur ompll8hed, we answer ti 

are three means of healing plainly revealed in the New 
Testament ; a1 all events lie three n y requie 

are Faith, Prayer and l Jesus says, "This 

kind," meaning the power to heal all manner of infirm- 
ities, "cometb not fori pi by prayer and fasting.' 1 
And He als tiding to your faith be it unto 
you." 

Now, when at define prayer, we say pn 

is our tion of divine good, and our ear 

endeavor to < n dation with it. 

joinery beautifully defined it when 1 . "IVaw 

the soul's Bin cere desire, uttered or unexpressed." 
Prayer is mental asking, mental seeking, mental knock- 
ing. 

Whenever we induce people to seek, to knock, bo 
ask in a definite direction, whenever we help them to 
aspire toward Ihe light, we teach them to pray rightly. 



SPIRITUAL THBRAPSUTE 887 

Prayer, therefore, can be continued without ceasil 
and if we are cured of any ailment through the agency 
of prayer, we do not consider that any such cure 

brought about vicariously or in any unnatural manner 
Individuals arc simply directed into channels of 
thought in which they continually aspire toward spir- 
itual light. Desire is prayer ; moral effort to attain to 
virtue is prayer; but the prayer of faith is the only 
effectual prayer, as it is aspiration or desire after vii 
and does not allow the word "cannot" in its vocabu- 
lary. It maintains that whatever is right for us to 
have can be received by us just because it is right for 
us to receive it. Faith in its grand old sense means fidel- 
ity, honor, straightforwardness of character, nobilitv, 
integrity; it means everything that stands for grand 
and noble character, not mere belief, concerning which 
contentious persons are ever wrangling and disputing, 
but noble virtue, moral excellence, ethical worth. Then 
fasting, what is it? Xot °;oin<_>' without food at stated 
intervals necessarily, but the complete subjugation of 
lower to higher impulses. ^Ve must deny our lower 
selves— sacrifice our lower appetites, that we may gain 
true freedom to fulfill the desires of our nobler instil. 

]STow, if all students realize that they must pray, 
exercise faith and fast — in the sense in which we have 
defined these terms — we know that to-day t. 
may be a spiritual outpouring as great as there ever 
was in ancient Galilee. It rests with i 
whether, when we teach or attempt to heal, t! 
is or is not a truly pentecostal one. We must all r - 
member we have still very much to learn. While 
the writings of Mrs. Eddy, Dr. Evans and others, may 



288 spiritual THERAPEUTICS. 

assist many to the light, the source of light is within 
us. In every human being dwells the divine word ; 
therefore every essential word of truth must conic from 
within, not from without. The living oracle, the ever- 
speaking word of God. must be recognized, or 
can not crown our endeavors. We need more reliai 
upon our own spiritual nature, and far more din 
communion with the source of all light. 

Spiritual science will tend to make us calm, quiet, 
strong with quiet strength, less dependent upon legal 
measures, outward modes of attack, controversial ar- 
gument and money, and infinitely mole dependent upon 
that silent, spiritual power which is strictly invisible 
and absolutely potential. .Many live like people who I 
long subsisted upon fruitful soil and land winch con- 
tained valuable ore, but have known nothii heir 
possessions, contented with scanning t lie Burfaoa 
Now, though our land has become no richer, we are 

told of our hidden ]»< >ns, of the wealth of OUT 

mines, and we discover that our land is highly arable 

and can yield beautiful Glowers, delicious fruits and 
golden harvests of grain. 

Now, let us set to work and plant our vineyards and 
olive proves. Let as gel our mines to work and our 
wells in operation, and though formerly our resour 

were as great, and our possessions as large as now, we 
knew nothing of them, so we now commence for the 
first time to enter consciously into our inheritar 

Thus do we find the golden key which unlocks the 
inmost secrets of our nature, unfolding to us our pr 
less latent treasures, which, though adding nothing t<> 
our capabilities, brings to light hidden things divine. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTK 

The science of spirit is the golden key which 

opens up the spiritual heaven to all, just as civilization, 
with all its discoveries and implements, reveals to lis 
the treasures hidden within the earth, and beneath the 
ocean wave — treasures which have been there for cen- 
turies, but of which we knew nothing until our at ten 

tion was called to them and they were placed at our 
command. 

Feel that there are spiritual gems of every hue 
lying buried in your inmost nature, as old Greek phil- 
osophers would express it, your latent knowledge only 
needs to be brought out by education; and ever as you 
seek to bring forth the treasures which are embedded 
in your soul, remember there are just two effective 
modes of digging, delving and diving, and these 
methods are love of truth and practice of charity. 

If you are lovers of truth and also lovers of your 
fellow-beings; if you can bear to stand alone, face to 
face with your own interior life, and not quail before 
its revealments, then you can rise superior to every 
mortal passion and the consequent ailments proceed- 
ing from sensuous indulgence. 






19 



TEACHINGS 

OF SPIRITUAL SCIENi UNINu OUB TREATMENT OF THE 

LOWER ANIMALS. 

THAT noble and glorious reformer, Anna bongsford 
M. C, (Parts) having passed Erom the mortal 
form, leaving behind her many works of great value 
which have never been publish d or in any way re-pro- 
duced in America, thoi eric Publishing Com- 
pany, 478, Bhawmut Avenue, Boston, issues a very good 
edition of her marvelous 1 1 entitled, "The Perfeci 
Way,- at the moderate We have ventured 
to incorporate into our present work some of this saint- 
ly and heroic woman's carefully digested and eminently 
scientific views on "Unscientific Science," which, 
when contrasted with the human teachings of a gra- 
cious and merciful spiritual science, will serve to show 
the utter irreconcilability of cruelty in any form with 
the work of even physically benefiting humanity. The 
most serious attention of our readers is particularly 
called to Dr. Kingsford's unanswerable plea lor " phil- 
osophic unity" which is expressed in the following 
words at the opening of her lecture entitled & 
Aspects of Vivisection, a lecture replete with the mosl 
valuable and authentic testimony gathered from every 
available source in Europe. It is with deep regrel 
we find ourselves unable to insert it in this volume: 



SPIRITUAL TIIKKAPKUTI 

" The century in which we live is one of hv on, 

criticism and thought. Dogmas and traditions are no 
longer accepted upon hearsay, oreven upon am hoi 
Everything is canvassed, discussed, verified, tested by 
reason. 

%, The reign of autocratic power seems to be in deca- 
dence, and that of philosophic force begins to 
itself. Men are awakening to the fact that the true 
glory of humanity consists in the faculty of reason, 
and that that which constitutes the human being is not 
special physical conformation, hut a mind enlight- 
ened, enfranchised, and capable of lofty aims. 

"I posit then, this fundamental principle, that the 4 
truly human and reasonable life is based upon an exact 
philosophy. The basic idea of philosophy is to reduce 
everything to Unity; to make of the various facts and 
diverse interests of our existence a synthesis, a com 
ent whole, harmonious and equilibrated in all its parts 
as a sphere of which the radii all converge to one and 
the same central point. Now it is this condition of 
equilibrium in the mind which constitute and 

it is the faculty of recognizing and comprehending the 
necessity of philosophic unity which is the distinctive 
appanage of the reasonable and enlightened being. 

" It follows from the premiss thus announced that no 
method of judgment ought to be i red con 

which opposes the interests and indications of science 
to those of morality, which causes discord between the 
aims and objects of physical welfare and those of the 
spiritual being, which creates confusion between i 
tain supposed material utilities and the necessities 
the moral nature of mankind. Fromthispoint of vi< 



292 SPIRITUAL TBKRAPEOT i 

and guided by this principle of philosophic unity, 
us examine the theory and art of vivisection I 
practised by modern biologist 

Dr. Kingsford's lecture uentific aspects of vivi- 

section" concludes with ti eference to the 

testimony of one of the mosl noted physicians Great 
Britain lias product d : 

" Sir Charles Bell, warned by the unfortunate results 
of his own and others 1 experiments, devo jhty 

pages of his 'Exposition of the Natural System of the 
Nerves of the Human Body' (1824) to the study and 
explanation of clinical and pathological cases, lie 
gards artificial experimen iperfluous and without 

value in presence of the precious tacts which every hospi- 
tal ward and pott-inortem room yield to investigation. 
And he eites examples oalculated to call attention to 

the fact that frequently the true interpretation of 

perimental results altogether escapes the operator, be- 
cause tin 4 animal on which he experiments is incapable 
of recounting its sensations, and its mere durabg 
may, as often as not, give rise to false impressions in 
regard to their causa In confirmation of this view, 
lie relates many clinical cases of nerve-injury which 
served as a basis lor his researches ami discovei 
solely on account of the explanation given by the pa 
tients themselves of their personal experiences and sen 
sations/' 

UNSCIENTIFIC SC1KV 

MORAL A8PBCH D» I tOH. 

BY DR. ANNA RDTOSfOBD. 

Apologists of the practice appear to think that the 
desire of knowledge is in itself sufficient to vindicate 



SPIRITUAL THERAPKUTRS. 29J$ 

all the cruelties and injustices imaginable. They do 
not seem to recognize the fact that every branch of intel- 
lectual research has its moral limits, and that the quest 
of pleasure, of wealth, of power, or of knowledge fhust 
never, in a civilized state, be permitted to outrage jus- 
tice or the law of humanity. 

In the ancient religious mysteries of all the nations 
of the globe, it is said that the fall of man ensues when 
he sacrifices moral obedience to the intellectual desire 
to know. Ah, it is primal and profound truth, and for 
this reason it finds its place in the initial chapters of the 
occult Book. There are certain means of acquiring knowl- 
edge of which man can not make use without forfeiting 
his place in the Divine Order. 

We know well that there exist many practices which 
are extremely profitable in their results, but which are 
not legitimate, and which civilization does not tolerate, 

In former times human lives were sacrificed to the 
interests of the fine arts. It is related that a certain 
painter of celebrity, wishing to sieze the effects of vio- 
lent death, caused a negro slave to be decapitated in his 
studio; and that another artist, famous for the talent lie 
displayed in the interests of the Church, crucified an 
unfortunate youth in order to secure a faithful model 
for an altar-piece portraying the expiring Christ. 

Such acts as these are not in the category of legit- 
imate practices, whatever may be the artistic or other 
value of their results ; and the same may be said of 
many other pursuits constituting so many sciences in- 
vented by man to enrich, to amuse, or to aggram 
himself, but which are, by the con of modern 

opinion, discountenanced and outlawed. 



294 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

It is necessary that men should understand the 
mere plea of " science" to be insufficient as a justifica- 
tion of human action. There are sciences of a lee 
mate and civilized nature, tending toward light, wis- 
dom and righteousness, and there are others which are 
neither legitimate nor civilized, and whose results can 
only end in the obliteration of sentiment, the negation 
of humanity, and the destruction of true science and 
true civilization. The progress made by vivisection is 
an advance upon the downward path. 

And here we are brought face to face with the fact 
that the vivisecting school is pre-eminently them 
rialistic and atheistic Bchool; while the school of spirit- 
ualistic thought is. by the Very nature of its philosophy, 
opposed to vivisection 

The materialist has no fundamental notion of Jus- 
tice. For him every thing is vague, relative, inexplica- 
ble. He is acquainted only with physical atoms, ch< 
ical elements, protoplasm and the theory of the evolu- 
tion of forms without aim and without order. Jn 
view there is only a blind force acting in the midst of 
darkness. Consequently, morality is not lor him a de- 
termined and positive quality, having its source in the 
divine and inviolable Mind which directs and domina 
all material manifestation ; it is but a matter of human 
habit and convention, differing according to the particu- 
lar time, place and race concerned. The man who ado 
this view of morality of course accepts the civil lav 
the soul arbiter of action, and regards conduct as repn - 

*Of course I use the word ** spiritualist " in its real and original sen* 
opposed to " materialist." > . </, regarding the universe as having a spiritual 
and intelligent basis. 1 do not employ the word a< a synonym for any 

cial doctrines other than this. 



SPIRIT AL THERAPEUTICS. 

hensible, or the reverse, according to the light in which 
it is popularly viewed by his own nation and em. The 
sentiments, such as honor, justice, courage, pity, to 
loyalty, are for him but idiosyncrasies, varying accord- 
ing to such and such a temperament and depending 
for their manifestation and development on physical 
and accidental causes. Naturally, then, he laughs at 
appeals to sentiment, and boasts of being inaccessible 
to the u hysterical attacks" of "sensitive and weak- 
minded fanatics." When he says this, and other simi- 
lar things, he simply means that the words " pity " and 
"justice" have no sense for him. There is but one 
only thing in the world which appears to him worthy 
of desire and attainment, and that is knowledge 
knowledge always, and before all things, without any 
restriction or limitation of the means employed in its 
attainment. 

The materialist does not understand that the Source 
and Substance of every series of phenomena, material 
and physical, the origin of which be seeks so eagerly 
to interpret, is equally the necessar^Jause of the - 
lution which has produced humanity, whose distinctive 
appanage is the moral nature. To think otherwise 
would be to create illogical and absurd confusion 
tween science and morality, by opposing intellect and 
intellectual interests to justice and the interests of the 
psychic being. 

Thus is brought about the inevitable negation of 
philosophic unity. 

But it is no uncommon thing to bear partisans of 
vivisection meet the charge of injustice and immorality 
made against the practice by the reply that it is a 



296 SPIRITUAL TIIKkWI'KlTICS. 

work of the highest intrinsic merit, because it has for 
its object the welfare of humanity. 

Let us stop and consider what is meant by "the 
welfare of humanity." What is the signification of 
the word u humanity," so often used, so little under- 
stood? For the materialistic and vivisecting school 
we know very well that humanity imports nothing else 
than the special physical form of an animal belonging 
to the family of apes, a creature having such and Buch 
conformation of cerebral convolutions, skeleton, and 
organs. It is the body, the physical form, which con- 
stitutes humanity, and that is all. But for the spirit- 
ualistic school of thought, humanity means the mani- 
festation of certain qualities and principles which find 
no expression among irresponsible beings— a condition 
raised above animality in virtue of a special moral 
pacity. Consequently, even were it true (which it is 
not) ib&t physical human life could be saved, and bod- 
ily advantages obtained by means of cruel and tyran- 
nical practices, such practices would still be. From the 
human point offpriew, completely unjustifiable. The 
human race can not be saved or enriched by acts which 
destroy and rob humanity. The physical life and 
health of individuals would be too dearly preserved or 
bought by the sacrifice of the high qualities which 
alone constitute man's superiority over all other creat- 
ures. The champions of vivisection demand the 
abasement of the moral standard of our race to the 
level of the primitive instinct of purely animal exist- 
ence—the preservation of the body at any cost. Such 
a surrender would involve the destruction of that which 
is infinitely more urecious than our physical life,of 



SPIRITUAL TIIKRAPKri! gjft 

that which gives to this life all its worth and all its 
glory, — the dignity of human sentiment, and the priv- 
ilege of responsibility. 

What would be said of any person who, being sick 
or in pain, should cause a number of highly sensitive 
animals to be tortured for hours or days in his pres- 
ence, on the remote chance of thereby discovering 
some means of alleviation for his own malady I Who 
among us, hearing of such an act as this, but would 
say that such a man was not worth the saving? And 
why should the motives of a whole people which act 
thus in accepting the practices of vivisection as the 
means of healing its physical ailments be held worthier 
our respect than those of the individual I 

There can be but one reply. The human race, once 
beggared of all the attributes which alone enrich and 
elevate it, has no claim to royalty over the animal-, 
and its salvation can in no wise profit the world. 

For the unjust king is no longer a king, but a tyrant. 

Vivisection has upon its hands the blood of violence 
and of abuse of force. No man ought to seek the re- 
lief of his suffering or the advance of his power at the 
price of the agonies of his lower brethren, even if such 
relief or advance should be really proved possible by 
these means. But it would seem that some physiolo- 
gists of the modern school are only anxious to prove 
our common origin with the animals, and consequently 
the ties of brotherhood which link them to us, in order 
the more tranquilly to claim the right to torture and 
misuse them. 

To vindicate the practices of vivisection by appeal 
to the u la \v of Nature," and to the habit- 



298 spiritual therapeutics. 

beasts who live by carnage, i k to regulate the 

conduct of the being highest in the s ! evolution 

by the manners of those beings which are lowest in the 
scale, and to degrade the code of human morality to 
the plane of that of the wolf, the tiger, or any other 
irresponsible and noxious creatui 

What is tl I of being a man — of being a 

"king" — if this high rank, this glorious title, imply no 
superiority to gross natures and to the common loti 
What is the meaning of all the mystery of develop- 
ment and of the transmutation of forms which, 
cording to the teaching of b 

many thousand ages of painful evolution, and by 
which alone we men ht ned our majesty of moral 

force and responsibility, if at tin 4 biddingof the \ 
sector we are to abandon our royal privilege, and sink 
again into the slime beside thelasi and most obscur 

our vassals 1 

Ay, and lower even than they. For the "struj 
for existence " among irresponsible b bool which 

the vivisectors talk so much, rarely implies torture, 
but only death. The claim of the vivis* for the 

right to inflict torture, in which but very few anim; 
and these the most ferocious and loathsome, appear to 
take pleasure. If, then, il he true that man lias the 
right to kill certain animals, as he has that to kill i 
tain men, this right does not involve the infliction of 
prolonged and horrible suffering. At the present day, 
in civilized countries, condemned criminals are given 
over to death, but never to the flames, never to the 
rack or the aMiette. We have no right to inflict upon 
innocent animals torments to which pity forbids us to 
subject guilty men. 



SPIRITUAL THSRAPBUTK 

The force which ought to dominate the world is nut 
physical force, nor even purely Intellectual force; but 

it is, above and beyond all other, moral and philosoph- 
ical force, which alone differentiates man from 
beast and distinguishes the civilized being from the 

barbarbian. 

In fact, the distinctive glory of humanity is based 
on the sentiments — those divine qualities which h 
ever inspired all the noble and worthy actions of our 
race, and which are everywhere recognized as the most 
^recious heritage of mankind. 

It is probably because the beliefs of materialism 
stiHe the sentiments in its devotees that they fail to 
perceive how inapposite are many of the comparisons 
drawn by them between the practices they defend and 
others recognized as useful and necessary to the State. 
A favorite argument is that which likens the craft of 
the vivisector to the profession of the soldier. J 
what is easier than to see that sentiment here en; 
an enormously important part, and that there is all the 
difference in the world between the courage which 
gives itself of its own accord to danger and to death, 
and the cowardice which, at its ease at home, malttf 
and martyrizes dumb and inoffensive creator 

Where is the analogy between the vivia lab- 

oratory, with its gagged, bound, and trembling victims. 
carved to death in cold blood, and the field of battle, 
where every man in each contending army fights for 
home and country under the inspiration of enthusiafi 
ambition or the desire for renown i 

Neither is there any resemblance between the ] 
tices of vivisection and the great enterprises of civili- 



300 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC8. 

zation, such as engineering, exploration in unknown 
seas, and similar undertakings of a perilous nature, by 
appeal to which it has been sought to justify the scien- 
tific torture of animals ; for these last do not volun- 
tarily devote themselves to the knife. Men who take 
part in difficult works of construction, adventurers who 
traverse the arctic wastes or engage in other hazard- 
ous enterprises, are volunteers who follow the interest 
of their own satisfaction or personal profitat their own 
risk. 

There is a complete contrast between the free safe 
rifice of oneself for the good of others and the enforced 
sacrifice of others for the good of oneself. The first 
is divine; the second is infernal. And vivisection rep- 
resents a sacrifice of the latter kind. 

Moreover, as already has been said, (hath is not tor- 
ture. Let ns remember thai the rightof vivisection 
differs from every other right assumed by men over 
animals by its peculiar nature, and that its defenders. 
if not wholly illogical or ignorant, vindicate the pro- 
priety of inflicting, not violent deaths, nor average 
pains merely, but horrible and prolonged agonies, such 
as that of the curarized dog out to pieces by inches, and 
lingering, hour after hour, in the silence and darkn 
of the night — dying in torment in the laboratory of 
Paul Bert, the moralist/ 

It is vain to appeal to the vivisectors themselves 
against the cruelties daily perpetrated in their chambers 
of horror. Formerly, when the priests of the mediaeval 
church burnt and tortured men for the salvation of 
souls, under the auspices of the Holy Office, it was not 
to the eminent deans and prelates of the sacred hie- 



SPIKITUAL THERAPEUT1 301 

rarchy that the world addressed itself in order to obtain 
the abolition of the Inquisition and of its infamous 
practices. The priests of the religion of the middle 
ages, like the priests of science to-day, found line 
phrases with which to defend themselves as a body of 
conscientious and disinterested men. Nevertheless, the 
question between the Church and the world was de- 
cided by the laity against the members of the eccle- 
siastical corporation, and there has never yet been Ma- 
son to regret the loss of stake and rack and dungeon. 

A science based upon torture can no more be true 
science than a religion based upon torture can be true 
religion. It is anew Reformation that we want — but 
this time in the domain of science ! 

For the rest, the instruments used in our labora- 
tories of vivisection are much the same as in mediaeval 
times. The modern arsenal is fully as complete as was 
that of the days of Torquemada, or Isabella of Spain — 
only now the dumb and innocent dog replaces the Jew 
or the heretic, and creatures which man judges his 
inferiors are bound to the wheel and tortured, with the 
hope of extorting from them the secret of life, in blind 
ignorance of the fact that Nature, outraged and agon- 
ized, replies like the human victim on the rack, more 
often by a lie than by the truth. 

Attempts have again and again been made to dis- 
suade anti-vivisectionists from the crusade they have 
undertaken, by inviting their attention and that of the 
public generally, to other abuses more or le8G 
with the inquiry, "Why do not you kind-heir 
people occupy yourselves with reforming the cruel 
practices of drovers, cab-drivers, sportsmen, slaughter- 



302 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

men, and their like \ Why do you not try to solace 
the misery that everywhere reigns outside the vivi- 
sector's laboratory, before you think of attacking the 
methods of men of science \ " 

To all this we reply that we do most strenuously 
occupy ourselves with these matters, but that every 
such effort is paralyzed by the fact that not only is 
vivisection by its very nature the most cruel of all 
cruelties, and therefore the head and front (if offend- 
ing, but that it is, alone of all cruelties, protected by 
State legislation, although other and minor barbarisms 
are officially condemned. So long as the j> f i/,rfj>L of 
cruelty is thus encouraged and kept alive by law, in the 
highest walks of science, all attempts to extirpate less< r 
cruelties elsewhere musl prove unavailing. 

How, for instance, can we teach our children the 
duties of humanity toward dumb animals, when, in 
the course of their studies at school and college, they 
learn what horrors are perpetrated in the work-rooms 
of science by the mi and professors they are 

expected torevere and to imitate? Or how can we 
profitably interfere to check the barbarities of the 
streets, when it is in the power ofthe brutal carman i r 
drover to retort that, no matter how he may maltreat 
his beast, he can not approach the cruelties of the phy- 
siological laboratory which have the full sanction 
the law? How can we urge him to cease working 
some old and worn out horse, broken down by I'ati: 
in the service of man, when the result of our charitable 
interference may possibly be, not the well-earned rest of 
a life long toil, nor even quick death under the blow of 
the knacker's axe, but a long and horrible agony in some 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUn 

infernal school of vivisection for the benefit of • 
ence" I Alas, we can but standby silent, pi only 

in our hearts that the poor, ill-used creature may 
be worked till he drops dead in his harness, than 
delivered over to the tormentors to end his innocent 
life of faithful service in the pains of hell. Everything, 
rather than the scalpel the saw and the hot iron 
the vivisector ! 

We demand justice! Justice not only for innocent 
and defenseless animals, but for men therasel 

The present law of this country is a law manifestly 
unjust and cowardly. It attacks the dwarfs and 
respects the giants of cruelty. The poor man who, in 
the interests of his livelihood, accidentally over-dr 
his horse or his donkey, is punished by the very I.- 
lature which protects the learned professor who fl 
and burns alive scores of living creatures systematic- 
ally. 

The law ought to be administered equally to all 
men, whether rich or poor, pi - or talcs, ignorant 

or learned. Either it ought to be admitted chat there 
h no harm in illtreating animals — and in such i 
a law which protects them is ridiculous — or the man who 
cuts up a dog alive in a laboratory merits punishment 
as much as the man who flogs a horse in 
and in such case the law ought not to favor the social 
rank or pretext of the first malfactor at the expense of 

last. If vivisection is to be permitted, enoourag 
endowed by the State, then societies forthe 
tection of animals from cruelty have no 
and ought to be abolished as anomal rard 

and illogical. 



304 SPIRITUAL TIIERAri liJ 

A good Christian once said to me, "I should n< 
be happy in the joys of Heaven if I knew that other 
souls were condemned to eternal torment. Such a 
thought as that would render all my own felicity hitter 
to me." Well, this is something like the feeling of 
an ti-vivisectionists with regard to the suffering of the 
victims of the phy al laboratory. The frightful 

thought that every day the rising sun will witn< 
commencement of hundreds of long drawn martyrdoms 
of inoffensive creatures throughout ( hristendom; the 
thought that every evening when we go to our rest 
the silence of night will but bring to these unhappy 
beings prolonged suffering, terror and agonising death ; 
the thought that such things take place, not by acci- 
dent, or by nature, in far-off uncivilized countries, but 
here, in our midst, in the heart of our towns, next door, 
maybe, toourown home, by deliberate, organized, 
tematic law-abiding acl — this is what tears the he 
embitters life and i'ovcc* u> to the reflection that,aftei 
all, human civilization and human pi> are hut 

fever dreams, futile, mean : ue. 

And this is why. when the vivi- ask US ;m- 

orilv, " What right have \<>u to meddle with tin 

searches of scientific men?" that we turn upon them 
with greater anger and retort in ourturn, "What right 

have you to render earth uninhabitable and life insup- 
portable for men with hearts in their bosoms \" 

It is not the fact, as the partisans of vivisection are 
never weary of declaring, that the public has shown 
itself incapable of judgii ntific necessities, hut 

rather that the scientists have shown themselves in- 
capable of recognizing the obligations of public mor- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

ality. If in matters of technical physiology it be 
fair to regard the public as "profane," it is equally 
correct to regard the experts of vivisection as "pro- 
fane " in relation to the principles of moral conduct 
Does the diploma of physiologists entitle them to pose 
as the exclusive arbiters of morality I Or is it not rather 
the truth that, being themselves indifferent to the inter- 
ests of morality and incompetent to deal with psychic 
considerations, they assume the defenders of these t<> 
be ignorant of scientific exigencies and incapable of 
understanding them, solely because of their own moral 
blindness ?" 

Now, the fact is that the question is quite as much 
of moral as of physical interest. 

If society be right in refusing to recognize the in- 
fallibility of a purely ecclesiastical caste in matters 
affecting the public conscience — as, for instance, in re- 
spect of religious persecution — it is equally right in 
refusing to admit the assumption of infallibility on the 
part of a caste exclusively scientific and materialistic in 
matters similarly affecting the public conscience. It 
was in the teeth of powerful vested interests that the 
world rejected compromise with the Inquisition and 
with the slave traffic, and the same considerations 
which influenced civilized men in dealing with t! 
institutions must equally influence them today, face to 
face with the claims and interests of vivisection. 

It is vain to urge that the majority of modern tor- 
turers for science's sake are educated, intelligent and 
eminent men, illustrious savants, venerable professors, 
who are themselves the best judges of what is net 
sary for science — who may safely be trusted to 
20 



306 SPIRITUAL THSRAPBtJI U 

for the best, and who are pre-eminently humane 
and sympathetic in their conduct and methods. J'i, 
cisely the same was said with equal truth of the ma- 
jority of torturers for religion's sake. They, too, \ 
the learned. nd and eminent men of their t 

and like the viviseotor aJ and p 

members of Boc riefs of disl incl 

high importance in th< And there is no reason 

to doubt that the atrocities of which they were the 

eager authors and contrivers w< ted, not by 

a love of cruelty, hut by zeal for the honor of ?■ 

and for the advance of the church, ami by ardor for 

the good of humanity. 

Every custom thai the world lias seen, whatever its 

barbarity, has found apologists, simply because of its 

being a custom. 

History shows us thai the abolition of human and 
other sacrifices in religious cults was in its time de- 
nounced as a menace for the faith, as an evidence of 

morbid sensibility and a symptom of degener 

Gladiatorial combats, cruel and barbarous amusements 

of all kinds, formerly popular, have in their turn been 

suppressed, and always in the clamorous pro- 

testations of persons interested in their maintenance. 

No pretext based on the pretended utility of viv ; 

tion ought to exempt it from the category of pracl 
unworthy of a civilized era. 

The abuse of force is an inexcusable crime and 

shan.e in those who claim despotic authority and to 
seek to justify such abuse by representing it as a m< 
of attaining a praiseworthy end is to argue, as did a 

certain celebrated brigand, who attempted to exc 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 307 

his acts of violence by saying, "If I have committed 
robbery, I have robbed only heretics with the intention 
of enriching the coffers of the true Church." 

Cruelty is always cruel, and only Jesuits and Paul 
Berts will dare to rehabilitate the sophistry expressed in 
the ecclesiastical axiom, "The end justifies the means," 
even when the "end" is "scientific progress/' the 
means "suffering the most atrocious that the imagina- 
tion can conceive," and the victims, beings incapable of 
defending themselves or of avenging their wrongs. 

Happily for humanity, the arbiters of the national 
conscience are neither the ecclesiastics nor the biolo- 
gists, but the people. 

I reflect on the history of the inquisition, of slav- 
ery and of despotism, and I have confidence in the 
future ! 

There is a better gospel than that of intellectual 
science, there is a higher law than that of physical 
utility. Do not let us fear, any of us, that by living 
up to the best and noblest in us we shall miss any good 
thing that might have been ours by baser means. The 
greater includes the lesser, and the science of Heaven 
encompasses all lower knowledges. Only let us seek 
first the kingdom of God and God's justice, and all 
these things shall be added unto us. There is nothing 
the righteous man may not know, for the spirit in him 
is divine, and able to unfold all secrets in their order. 

For love is the universal solvent, and love's 
method is in all its unfoldings consistent with its ob- 
ject and intent. 

In conclusion, I recommend specially to my breth- 
ren of the medical faculty those brave and worthy 



308 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

words which Dr. Samuel Johnson addressed to the 
physiologists of his day: 

"May all men of heart who follow the noble science 
of medicine, the aim of which is the relief of suffering, 
publicly condemn the practices of vivisection, for they 
are of a nature to discredit their profession, and will 
end by extinguishing in their votaries those sentiments 
which alone deserve the confidence of the public, and 
the absence of which is more to be dreaded than t he- 
worst of physical evils. 55 



A FORM OF TREATMENT. 

[CONTRIBUTED BY MKS. SAIIA HARRIS, BERKELEY, CAI,] 

I am Spirit divine in essence and included in the 
Universal. In the inmost and True Being 1 am not 
and can not be diseased, for lam perfect in the im 
and likeness of God. Over me matter lias no control, 
formatter has neither sensation, intelligence or sub- 
stance; the real is spirit; only truth is eternal. The 
beliefs of the race, the current thought of the day, the 
influence of those around me, both seen and una 
my own error, ignorance, grief, fear, malice, envy, 
revenge, murder, jealousy, shall no longer reflect dig 
in my body. 

God is my life, and I cannot know death; God is 
my health, and I can not know disease; God is my 
strength, and I can not know weakness; God is my 
peace, have no fear, be not afraid, for God is working 
through me both to will and to do His good pleasure. 
God's good pleasure is that I should have p 
mind, health of body and purity of life. This is already 
true of me in the Real Being. 

And aow, in the name of the Universal Spirit of 
Truth, and through faith in omnipresent good, I 
declare all that is good, true and beautiful of me in 
spirit to be true of me in body. Error and ignorance 
have held me in bondage; the truth of the I ing 

shall set me free. 



LEAVES FROM STUDENTS' NOTE BOOK. 

SPIRITUAL SCIENCE CATECHISM. 

What is God ? 

Infinite Spirit. All Good. 

Wliat is man ? 

The offspring of Infinite Spirit. 

What is m aiter f 

The most external or lowest expression of iiniv< 
substance. 

Is it necessary to study pathology t 

Spiritual healers require no such stud v. 

Please define Mortal Mind. 

Changing states or conditions of human belief. 

Is God the j I uthw & and I >> ath t 

Decidedly He is not. 

What is t rrort 

Misapprehension of Truth. 

Is diagnosis n 

Not in all cases; it is, however, often desirable. 

Should treatin- ilent, and how long contvn^ 

Silence is the greatest power. No Btated time. 

Some assert that oar Sysh ms of tt< ligi govi rm d 

by our Systems of Medicin* . What is your opinion t 

They are in turn influenced by each other. 

What diel Jesus mean whei\ he said, kk The works 
that I do, ye shall do also " t 

310 



SPIRITUAL THERAPBUTK ,) 1 1 

Exactly what he said. 

Is a sick person th 1 Ufa ru fodt 

The real man is never sick, only the mortal append- 
age of man, which is not God's image, can be side. 
Is it possible to always avoid j>hys 

It is, provided you understand and obey the divine 
law of harmony. 

How can ire best overc 

By boldly facing whatever we regard as calculated 
to inspire fear, then bravely defying its power to harm, 
which can only be successfully accomplished through 
unfaltering trust in Infinite Good. 

Does the suicide Jmd a friend in death ? 

Suicide is arrant folly, and folly cannot promote 
our welfare. 

Is soul in the body? 

It is not, but spirit uses the body as an instrument 
or machine. 

Should we forsake all for Truth t 

Decidedly, but we must ever remember that truth 
only calls upon us to sacrifice error, and error is to 
truth what commonest glass is to purest gems. 

Does chemicalization always follow treatment? 

Not invariably when it does it marks a conflict 
between truth and error, and truth must triumph. 

Are nerves the source of pain r plea 

Nerves transmit the sensations they can not produce, 
as electric wires convey intelligence they can n< -t 
furnish. 

Does spiritual science ignon all medicine and 
hygen 

It does not rely on medicine, which it far surpai 



312 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

and it includes the soul and practice of genuine 
hygiene. 

Mtist a healer he icell educated ? 

In the sense that educated means morally and men- 
tally unfolded, yes; in a scholastic sense it is not 
necessary. 

Do you believe in heredity ? 

So far as mental and physical leanings are con- 
cerned we do, but all hereditary taints can be elimi- 
nated. 

Can obstetrics be practiced in this science t 

Not only can be but must be. 

Do you object to m and mediumshipf 

Mesmerism is vastly inferior to Spiritual Science. 
Mediumship is a blessing when rightly understood, 

What are theprinu causes of sickness t 

Ignorance of the Law of Health ; lack of individual- 
ity, and too great love of the Belli 

Is not metaphysical set portani 

point of vu 

Unquestionably, as metaphysical methods are the 
only ones which permanently efface crime. 

Can we treat animals successfully? 

Without difficulty, if they love and reaped you, 
they respond very quickly to your every thought. 

Do our depart* dfru nds assist us? 
Your "departed friends" are only "departed" in 
mortal belief, they are as truly your assistants in 
every good work as though you could see them physic- 

ally" 7 

What is the cause of a relapst 
Relapses are consequent upon imperfect acquaint- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC 

ance with truth and nervous susceptibility to one's 
surroundings. 

Can we al • and ward it off^ '<■ 

know how to do itf 

Just as truly as you can make a roof water-tight or 
a ship seaworthy. 

Is Rept one of the > titra- 

tion ? 

Repression fosters crime, sickness and insanity. 
Eradicate evil desires, gratify lawful one-. 

Please explain the words of ■ ' II , thai & 

eth in me, shall never see death"? 

In the simplest interpretation of these words the 
fear of death and the pain accompanying physical dis- 
solution is intended. 

Do oar spirits dwell within or without our Indies? 

The spirit itself can not be wholly limited by the 
body, which it simply vitalizes, and through which it 
expresses itself. 

What is the relation between the spiritual and (hi ma- 
terial body ? 

A relation similar to that existing betwen a per- 
former and an instrument, or a man and his clothing. 

What is the Odylic fame seen l>y claw 

Odylic, from Od (all pervading), means the astral, or 
emanating flame of vitality. 

How do magnetic healers differ fn 
dans t 

In that they rely too much on bodily emanations 
and too little on mind. 

What are mesm i do tfu J 

differ* 



314 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

Mesmerism is Anton Mesmer's limited system of 
psychology, which is founded upon a recognition of 
animal magnetism. 

What is mind ? 

Intelligence manifesting in reason. 

What is spirit ? 

Life itself ; being; self-existent intelligent princi- 
ple. 

What is soul t 

The innermost or affect ional element in spirit, mind 
being the rational. 

What is disease ? 

Inharmony ; discord; lack of equilibrium. 

How can we a/ooi 

By cultivating a mental state which generafa 
counteracting vital force. 

Why is di> 
than another f 

Because some persons are more tenacious of error, 
and at the same time more weakly susceptible than 
others. 

Is there any definite rule < irds thi length c 

treatment? 

Certainly not ; for in order to treat or he treated 
successfully^ you must forget time and place. 

Why are some patients eonsidi red incurahU t 

Because spiritual perception of the means of their 
cure is lacking. 

How does chemicalization differ from the cri& 
the hydropathist f 

It differs only in this: that metaphysicians consider 
the mental cause, hydropathists the physical effect. 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTH 315 

How can ■ id being drafted by thi , (lrc 

mentally \ physically and spiritually si 

By feeding on truth ourselvi 

Is God in U8 y i i God? 

The finite is in the Infinite, 

How can we best attain and mairUaifi perfect health t 

By persistently acknowledging good to the exclusion 
of its opposite. 

What are the qualifications i 
ful healer f 

Supreme love of truth, coupled with intelligent lit 
erality of sentiment. 

How far has a physician the right / 
tienffs will f 

Xo right at all. Truth is submitted to con 
and reason, and must be embraced willingly. 
What law governs the will, and how con 
red it f 

By concentrating our thought and affection upon 
that object we most desire to reach, and *hat persist- 
ently. 

Is not pleasant, harmonious 
rf the lest methods? 

Converse with patients whenever you can without 
arousing opposition. 

Is it m '/forth*, physician to l> morally < 

spiritually superior to the patient? 

It is difficult to gauge superiority, but no moral 
and mental standard can be too high. 

Is it absolutely ry that th>- , 

. 

Receptive to truth; yes. Negative to mortal belief, 

na 



316 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTIC*. 

Why is silent treatmennt lest ? 

Because it does not arouse excited controversy, and 
gives the most phenomenal proof. 

Are hereditary diseases (so-Galled) tin most difficult 
to heal f 

Not unless belief in their ineradicability is Brmly 
rooted in the patient's mind. Much depends on the 
healer. 

Should we always call the disease by nam* in healing t 

Not unless the patient often thinks of and mentions 
it by name. When such is the case, deny it by name 
often and vigorously. 

Is the subjugation of thi bodily * ru sa/ryt 

The senses must be governed by reason. Where 
appetites dominate the will dis< inevitable. 

Should we ignore our individuality in our treatments 
for any set i uL 

No, never use any Formula nor adopt any rule which 
does not appeal to your sense of right. 

How can we h st discots r truth t 

By cultivating a willingness to forego all else for 
its possession. 

Is not the personality of thi patient ofU n thi object w 
error that must be or, ,'<■<> me? 

The idiosyncracies and prejudices of the patient 
must be vanquished, and particularly all unkind!! 
and animosity in thought, word or <\a'(\. 

Is there any law of adaptability more potent than 
love and sympathy f 

Love manifests itself in inevitable, spontaneous sym- 
pathy which reveals true union. 

What is to be understood by perfection t and is it at- 
tainable in this life ? 



SPIRITUAL THERAPKUT1 

Perfection in its relative only implies perfect 

obedience to the highest truth perceived ; this is p 
tical. 

Which are the most <• 

rior a 
Books and conversation are valuable only as they 
help persons to gain experience. Experience is the 1 igh- 
est teacher. 

In a figurative sense they can; those "dead in sin 
ca 1 be raised to "newness of life." In a physical a 

those seemingly dead can often be restored. 

How IJishnesst 

By steadily fixing our thought and affection on uni- 
versal human welfare 

117 ryt 

Probably because, like all other persons, they are 
often obliged to receive compensation for their servi 
and mercenary people, who are not true scientists, 
invaded the ranks. 

}}liat is math i\ and is 

Matter is the lowest expression or manifestation of 
mind. 

Is '/natter a cause or ■ 

Decidedly an effect, of which the cause is intelligent 
mind in every instance. 

J/ i you teach i 

No, for it was well known to the ancient 
only a recent discovery on the part of the m 
Is this i" w ph 



318 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

It is identical with the healing work accomplished 
by inspired teachers and prophets everywhere^ in 
every age. 

What is meant by the true Christ ? 

The essential life; divine inmost principle of hu- 
man nature; God manifest 

Jesus said: u Greater works than these sha/l y< do." 
What did he mean by gn aU r f 

That whereas his work was Literally confined to 
Palestine, similar work should at length be accom- 
plished everywhere. 

Iloio many senses has man. and how many du 
ered or recognized by th< masses t 

Seven; for in addition to the five recognized univer- 
sally, clairvoyance and intuition arc clearly distinct. 

Are metaphysical teachin 
eibtifioor incl/usivi t 

Inclusive in the broadest Benseof the word; hut 
not so sentimental as scientific when thoroughly sound. 

Is it wise t<> disregard natural lotos t 

True metaphysicians love, honor and obey divine 
natural law. Laws are human inventions. 

Are anatomy and physiology taught by meta/phys* 
cia?is, oris an understanding of thos< isary 

to the successful heglert 

Anatomy and physiology are valuable studies, but 
not always necessary. 

Is there any differ* vptzn name) between m<t- 

apliysieians, Christian scientists^ mental scientists^ men- 
tal liealers and spiritual healers? 

Very little real difference, save that some Christum 
scientists make of Mrs. Eddy a final authority. Men- 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 3l!> 

tal science is not so broad and inclusive a term as spir- 
itual science, while the phrase spiritual healing is oor- 
rect, but scientifically inadequate. 
Can wasted lungs be restored? 

Under many circumstances they can bo; but it is 
difficult to decide how far medical diagnosis is accurate. 

Can we learn to overcome fat'ojue .< 

If we live in harmonious thought we shall Bleep 
naturally when we need rest without feeling exhaus- 
tion. 

If a belief exist* that climate and atmosphen an un- 
healthy what is the result ? 

Nervous and susceptible people are made ill through 
imbibing prevailing fear. 

Do you believe in contagious diseases? 

Everything is contagious if we are susceptible. We 
believe in contagious health, which is the antidote to 
all disorder. 

What, in brief, is the cardinal truth qfmetaphyst 

Good is infinite and eternal. Evil is only a mortal 
inversion. 

Is it possible to overcome a belief in pain whil sivf- 
fering from it f 

It is, by turning the thought resolutely to the source 
of joy. It is often desirable, howyer, to avail oi 
self of a healer's services when pain is acute. 

How can we b<st cultivate a truly spiritual condi- 
tion f 

By always acting in harmony with our deepesl con- 
viction of right. 

i the skill ful metaphysician t w r ( xp < 
surgery f 



320 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

Mechanical surgery is a special study, which no one 
is thoroughly adapted for unless he be in a broad sense 
a true metaphysician. 

Would you allow the use of any material remedies ? 
We know Jesus sometimes used them. 

If you carefully read the gospels you will learn 
that Jesus trusted entirely in the efficacy of Divine 
Spirit, and in the use of material simples reversed all 
prevailing beliefs. 

Do you consider that metaphysical meth suf- 

ficient to meet every condition a ml ofx all discom- 

fort f 

Decidedly we do, as it would be the height of folly 
to attribute potency to matter (the lesser) which we de- 
nied to mind (the greater). 

Are chronic oases more difficult t<>h<(tl than (/rut, 
ones ? 

Not for any other reason than because old fears and 
prejudices are harder to remove than recent oro 

Are absent treatnu nis as hi neficial as otht 

Frequently far more so, as mind thereby demon- 
strates its power more absolutely. 

Is there any objection to the 1< rm ( 'hristia 

None whatever, save that it is distinctly ecclesi- 
astical, and liable to arouse prejudice. 

Can anyone become a healer t 

Every one can heal some one, as healing is possible 
through an immense diversity of methods. 

Is there any difference between prayer and faith c 
and metaphysical healing ? 

Metaphysical healing includes the exercise of faith 
and prayer, but is broader in its definitions. 



SPIRITUAL TIIERAPEUTI. ;>21 

Do you hold that metaphysics is vup 
methods, and espec tally so in insanity? 

Unquestionably as all other methods are pert 
inferior, and in cases of insanity worthier 

Witt disease eventually be < health 

Ignsupreme <>n earth? 

Never doubt this and ever work to hasten the day, 

How can we ov tierialism and skepticism? 

By clearly presenting spiritual truth to honesl 
miiuls wjthout anxiety. 

Is suffering an absolute necessity/ 

It is necessary as long as you experience it, for you 
can only outgrow it by interior development. 

Shall ice in the good time coming die well? 

You will leave this earth when you are ready for 
promotion without sickness. 

Is it possible, or desirable to have our lives continued 
in our earthly bodies beyond a ripeoldag 

It is desirable to continue living surrounded by 
physical limitations until you have ripened spiritu- 
ally so that you can enjoy a higher state of exist**: 
Physical immortality is a foolish dream, as no one could 
very long be contented with physical restrictions. 
Age signifies nothing to spirit, growth is everything. 
Strive to grow so that you are prepared for a more 
glorious state of expression, and do not worry your- 
selves about the destiny of your tlesh. 



21 



APPENDIX. 



In compliance with the expressed wish of many of our 
subscribers we take great pleasure in here appending a 
few thoroughly authentic testimonies written by persons 
of unimpeachable integrity, who gladly publish their 
grateful acknowledgment of the inestimable noon nm- 
fered upon themselves through a practical application of 
the principle of the science to the advocacy and elucida- 
tion of which this book is devoted. We have only put 
before our readers a very few narratives out of hun- 
dreds which have been sent to us. Those which we here 
publish we have carefully selected as being of a char- 
acter to impress and interest the general reader. .Many 
others were quite as forcible and important, bat as our 
work had already exceeded originally proposed limits, 
we were compelled to confine ourselves to a few typical 
instances. In offering these facts to the public we do 
not desire in any way to detract from the well-earned 
fame of many noble and honest men and women who 
conscientiously and effectively practice medicine. What 
we do contend for is the unanswerable declaration that, 
without having recourse to any outward appliances, the 
sovereign power of mind alone is adequate to the ac- 
complishment of all and more than all that medicine 
can accomplish. Now with reference to medical men and 
women, magnetic healers and others allow us to state 
our position clearly ; we believe them capable of re- 

322 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 

lieving many sufferers, not alone or chiefly by their art 

but in consequence of their exercising an influ- 
ence for good over their patients in ways they 
often fail to comprehend. In California especially, 

where we have had many pleasant relations with 
eminent medical practitioners of the several schools 
we have found id many instances great breadth 
and liberality of sentiment and a willingness to in- 
vestigate this subject. 

Druggists, whose business it is to compound prescrip- 
tions* and who, therefore, have a special interest in the 
support of an external medical system, have also in 
many instances freely testified to their knowledge of 
the effectiveness of mental therapeutics. One highly 
accomplished young gentleman in San Francisco, a 
leading druggist in the city, who attended our classes fre- 
quently, was, in our opinion, as thoroughly practical a 
metaphysician as any who would feel it against their 
conviction to even administer hot water to a person 
suffering acute pain who desired relief from so simple 
and innocent a remedy. Intolerance and prejud 
against doctors and apothecaries on the part of mental 
healers, and the equally unreasoning denunciation of 
metaphysicians by the advocates of physic, arc alike 
irrational eccentricities of dwarfed and perverted minds. 
AVhile the spiritual position we have taken for many 
years we can never relinrpiish, while we positWi ly I 
and have ahrrulinthj demonstrated the abeohtt 

\cy of unassisted mind to overcome ailments which 
no medicine can reach, we at the same time full] 
nize the necessity and use of duly accommodated truth, 
and by this we mean an application of healing po 



t324 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

to individual necessities in accordance with the under, 
standing and conviction of those working and those 
worked upon. All over the world the medical profes- 
sion is coming to represent a truer and broader eclecti- 
cism than it ever could represent, until the spiritual 
awakening of recent years called prominent attention 
to the spiritual element in therapeutics, and threw down 
the gauntlet to modern materialism. Mrs. Eddy, of 
Boston, deserves unstinted praise for opening the 
door into the light for multitudes, and we who say 
this by no means endorse all the positions token by 
that remarkable woman, whose extreme views ne. 
sarily excite an immense amount of controversy. Dr. 
Evans, that grand whole-souled humanitarian whose 
many works on divine, spiritual and mental modes of 
healing are acknowledged text-books of priceless value, 
has also done more than words can tell, to turn thecur- 
rent of popular opinion in the right direction. Many, 
many others, writers, teachers, practitioners, have sown 
good seed abundantly, which is now happily beginning 
to bear fruit in a happier condition of affairs the world 
over. 

TESTIMONY OF MRS. C. M LEWI8, 166 WARREN STREET* 

BOSTON. 

A little boy who had catarrh, and had suffered from 
birth, whose face was continually distorted, and whose 
nights were disturbed from inability to breathe, was 
entirely cured. He had been under the care of two 
medical doctors, without benefit. This child had one 
hand covered with warts which had refused to yield to 
every kind of treatment, but with the radiation of 



SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 325 

truth dissolved into nothingness, they went like dew 
before the sun, gradually fading away. 

This case was healed three years ago, and has stood 
intact. I mention this as so many claim that mental 
cures are not lasting. All that I shall mention are 
cases that have remained cured a year or more. 

An old lady who had suffered long with sciatica, 
and who had lain only on one side for over five years, 
was entirely cured with one treatment. She can now 
lie on one side as well as the other with perfect ease ; 
cured two years ago at time of writing. 

In a case of eczema that had been under a physi- 
cian's care, and was being treated with morphine every 
three hours, the patient after first treatment was hit 
sleeping and slept quietly through the night without 
morphine or any drug whatever. A complete cure was 
performed and morphine totally dispensed with. This 
was more than a year ago. The lady was eighty-six 
years of age. 

I was called to a case where a young man had hem- 
orrhage, and was afflicted with distressing cough. A 
doctor said he must spend the winter in Colorado if lie 
wished to live, as he would not be responsible if he re- 
mained in the East. He responded readily to the truth 
without traveling, and to-day is strong and well, re- 
fleeting truth instead of error. Cured two years hgo. 

A babe three months old, who had been treated to 
eight different kinds of food in its short existence, and 
who was discharging blood all day before ooming under 
treatment came into harmony after first treatment and 
was healed ; is now quite well, two years old. 1 oould 
give many more instances where truth ha Ued 



32G SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

error and where light has proved the nothingness of 
darkness in equally conclusive ways. 



AN INTERESTING CASE. 

I was called to a lady very ill of pneumonia. It 
was feared she was dying the morning I was sum- 
moned. I found her, physically speaking, in a very 
high fever, her lungs so congested that her breathing 
was like the panting of a dog. The fever Boon began 
to subside, the respiration grew easier and longer, un- 
der my "thought," or, a1 the call of my spirit to hers to 
come up out of its physical bondage onto the plane of 
spirit where pneumonia docs not exist. During the 
treatment I received sudden and strong impression, like 
a message to "treat the bowels, keep the bowels open," 
a condition which I believe the regular practitioner 
seeks to avoid. This surprised me as the point of seem- 
ing danger, in the thought of patients and attendants 
was centered elsewhere, bul remembering teh injunction: 
"quench not the spirit/' I obeyed the inner prompting. 
At my next visit I was told that the patient had passed 
a tape worm, in two sections, which by actual measure- 
ment was seventy-two feel long. The lady's restora- 
tion to health was rapid. 

Mis- Susie C. Clark, 
15 Centre St., Cambridgeport, Masa 



Among other cases not generally supposed curable 

by mental or spiritual methods by those who do not yet 
realize that the physical is alone the realm of limitation, 
I would record the cure of some very severe corns and 



SPIRITUAL THEBAPEUTK 327 

bunions, a case of eczema, one of dyspepsia of twenty- 
two years' standing-, and a case of peritonitis which r 
ular physicians had given up to die. The water bad 
stopped and could not be drawn with instruments, ;n,- 
successful attempts to do so having b en made, caus 
great torture. In fifteen minutes after I entered 
room the water passed freely without the patient's i 
sciousness that the stricture and inflammation w 
removed. Recovery was immediate. 

I also treated a lady while two large, double teeth 
were extracted, she experiencing no pain, or unpleas 
ant sensation. 

Miss SrsiK C. ( 'lark, 
15 Centre St., Cambridgeport, M 



A TUMOR CURED. 

A lady who had an ovarian tumor of nearly eight 
years, growth was healed in five treatments, although 
before the fifth treatment she pronounced her 
cured, the tumor having gradually subsided until it en- 
tirely disappeared. A few months before I studied 
Spiritual Science, I spent a day or two in her home, 
during which time she was wonderfully relieved, al- 
though she did not then mention it. Does this not 
show that the spiritual power which heals is ;i natural 
out-breathing, rather than the result of mental argil 
ment, whether in " silent mind," or in verbal presenta- 
tion \ The Eternal Spirit is always present to heal, il 
one lives in the conscious realization of this truth. 

Miss Maky E. Stbtngakdt, 
1 Pearl St., Lynn. Mai 



828 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS, 

TESTIMONIES FURNISHED BY DR. AND MRS. CONGAR, 
247 OGDEN AVE., CHICAGO. 

San Antonio, Tex., April 22, 188 i 
The case of Miss Anna Phillips had baffled the skill 
of medical doctors, and she came to us as a last resort* 
Inheriting as she thought kidney difficulty from Ik r 
father, who had died from that disease, she had given 
up all hope of recovery, and constantly feared insanity. 
She had been unable to walk, or go up and down stairs 
for over a year. She was healed by seven treatments, 
entirely mental and spiritual. Miss Phillips proclaimed 
the glad tidings of health far and near, and was a 
striking advertisement for truth seen and read by all. 

Rosa C. Cokgab. 

San Antonio, Tbx., April. 1884, 
The case of Mrs. W. N. Doffy, was a combination 
of uterine difficulties, indigestion, constipation and in- 
action of liver and kidneys, producing partial blindness 
and dizziness. One treatment produced a marked 
change in her condition. She was entirely restored in 
twenty four treatments. Few oases can be found more 
complicated or physically worse than the above. 

Rosa C. Congab. 



Galykston, Tex., March l vv l. 
Mrs. Rickey had been unable to work or walk for a 
year, suffering constant pain resulting from uterine 
complications, with nervous exhaustion. 

Only eight treatments were needed to restore her 
to health both of body and mind. She reported her- 
self strong and well, six months later, expressing great 
gratitude for such singular benefit. 

Rosa C. Conga r. 



SPIR ITJAL THERAPEI7114 

Oakland, CaL., July, 1887. 
The case of Mrs. J. S., of New Britain, Conn., who 
visited California, as a last hope, was one of chronic 
fiver and kidney difficulty, attended with severe cod 
She declared that by simply talking with us. she fell 
better. In twenty treatments she was well. Six 
months later she told us $1,000 would not pay tor all 
we had done for her. She returned to her home in 
Connecticut, a strong healthy woman sixty-five year 
age. Rosa 0. i uel 



cask OF (HAS. CLOUGH. 

Oakland, Cal., July. 1 M 
Diagnosis: Rheumatism for over six months: con- 
stipation, stomach and liver troubles; had only two 
weeks to remain before leaving for Mexico. Could he 
be helped in that time! Wegave him strong hope that 
he could be very much benefited. With four treat- 
ments his lameness was entirely removed, and he 
declared he was in every way well, and could walk 
far as he ever could in his life. 

1>K. M. E. ( JONGAS. 



CASE OF JOHN MEYERS. 

Galveston, Tin , March 5, 1884. 

Diagnosis : Injured by a fall ; kidneys failed to do 
their work ; sunstroke, constipation, rheumatic pain 
right shoulder, ruptun . declared he was only 

fit for the grave; tried mental treatment to please his 
wife; was healed in twenty-six treatments; voinntei 
a strong testimonial; atierman rationalist, without 
least faith to build upon, but looked at the end of one 
month like a new man. Ko u;. 



330 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

San Antonio, Tex.. May, 1884. 

Mrs. Mary N for seven years had been a victim 

to periodical attacks of sick-headache; was a physical 
wreck. Her right lung was diseased, and she suffered 
from a constant cough and many other unpleasant 
symptoms. Mrs. N was healed in twelve treat- 
ments by purely metaphysical methods, and said she 
felt better than in twenty years previously. 

I£r8. \l. (\ CONGAK. 



Galveston, Tex., February, l vv l. 
The case of Mr. W. O. Rutledge was one of long 

standing; said he had taken drugs enough in the past 
twenty years to stock a drn^ store; was but a wreck 
of his former self, the result of a diseased heart, inac- 
tion of the digestive organs, and poisoned blood; used 
tobacco excessively; was perfectly healed in forty live 
treatment. He always slept during treatment. He 
was also enabled to relinquish his tobacco habit. 
We received many letters from him during the next 
year, in which he always reported himself strong and 
flesli3 r . Rosa ( . ( Iongab. 



EXPERIENCE OF MRS. LILT D. BOTH WELL, BIN DIEGO, 

CAL. 
In 1874 I had the misfortune to sprain my right 

knee; slight lameness for six or eight weeks was the 
result, though I did not at that time realize its serious 
import. It gave me no permanent trouble. At times 
I lamed nvyself for a few weeks, by making some quick 
movement. One morning in February, 1886, I awoke 
to find that I could bear no weight on the riffhl foot. 
Not sensing the actual condition, I gave it no serious 



SPIRITUAL TIIKKAIM TTI 331 

thought until the third day when 1 found that the 
whole limb was losing power. Two Burgeons p 
nouneed the ease "fluid around the joint" The limb 
continued to grow weaker and finally began to shrink. 
During three months of deep mental and physical de- 
pression I was under the care of a most capable surgeon, 
whose every effort to relieve the trouble seemed futile. 
The case baffled experience. The weakness of the 
limb became so excessive that day and night I was 
obliged to rest it upon a piliow. 

A lady asked me one day why T did not try mental 
cure. I replied that I knew nothing about it. She then 
spoke of a metaphysician whom she knew to be verv 
successful, and (to use an old phrase) as a last resort I 
sent for her. She gave me treatments for a week with- 
out visible effect on the physical. A few hours after 
the seventh treatment, sitting quit# alone in my room 
reading Dr. Evans' Primitive Mind Cure, the chap 
on the Art of Forgetting Disease, with cratches bee 
me, my foot resting on a chair and a pillow under 
the knee, I became so deeply engrossed in the sub- 
ject that I was oblivious of self until 1 realized that 
I was standing on the opposite side of the room, and 
that I had walked there of my own five ,/•.'//, quite 
without the aid of the friendly cratches, for there they 
stood beside my vacant chair. I was greatly excited 
and continued to walk, cry and laugh alternately for 
an hour or more. As the different members of my 
family returned and found what had been done they 
were in much the sam< if mental excitement that 

I was in. 

The following morning the metaphysician came as 



332 SPIRITUAL THERAPEUTICS. 

usual, and she, too, was quite overcome when she saw 
the wonderful work that had been accomplished. It 
was like one of the so-called miracles of old, so marvel- 
ous were the results. I shall ever hold this dear lady, 
Mrs. Shields, of Berkeley, Cal., in grateful and lov- 
ing remembrance. I consider her work one of the 
greatest achievements of Spiritual Science. No tpcak- 
ncss vMsfelt in the knee at tiny firm qfU r I began walk- 
ing. A course of twenty-one treatments entirely cured 
me. Some two weeks later Mr. Colville came to Oak- 
land and opened a class in Spiritual Science. K 
for enlightenment I joined it. Alter the sixth lesson I 
had the misfortune to slip on the sidewalk and sprain 
the knee again. It became swollen and useless. Once 
more I was obliged to resort to crutches. I felt heart- 
broken that by carelessness I should bring that calami- 
tous condition up#n myself. The following morning 
I attended the class and after the lecture stated the 
case and asked a class treatment. Mr, Colville said 
"You have heard the lady's statement, now give her 
your concentrated thought that she is not lame, that 
she can walk." The lameness was gone instantly and I 
arose and walked. My husband carried my crutches 
home, and from that time I have not used them nor 
have I been lame. 

N. B. — The incident recorded here took place on the 
campgrounds bordering Lake Merritt, Oakland, Cal., 
in June, 1886, and was witnessed by fully two hundred 
persons. 



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CAUSE AND CURE OF ALL DISEASE. 

A work of over 660 pages, just Issued. 
By Rosa Cadman Congar, M.H., and Dr, M, E. Ccngar. 

This work is made up of Twenty-four Chapters, and brief sum- 
mary. 



Chapter I. — Introductory, by Dr. Cougar. 
Chapteb II. — Causes: Ignorance and neglect. 

Chapter III.— Remedies : Innumerable and simple; should h. 

varied in application as are the faces of the human family. 

Chapter IV. — Lungs, Stomach and Circulation: These vital 
organs and their functions duly considered. 

Chatter V. — Heart and Liver. Their relation and Importance 
considered. 

Chapter VI. — Constipation and Piles: This one ehaj ter Is worth 
the price of the book to every family. 

Chapter VII. — Baths, Gymnastics and Ventilation : The les- 
sons taught in this division are all exceedingly important. 

CHAPTEB VIII. — Hygienic Food: If you desire perfect health. 
you must make a careful study and live the teachings of thfc 

chapter. 

Chapter IX.— Physiology of Marriage: Advice and counsel that 
parents should not ignore. 

Chapter X. — Fevers and Inflammations: Only signals of dis- 
tress; friends, and not enemies. 

Chapter XI. — Bowels, Kidneys and Bladder: If dig 
cause of bad treatment. 

CHAPTER XII. — Sunshine and Shadow: Important, r< ry im- 
portant health requisites. 

Chapter XIII.— Dress: The subject dressed as only woman can 
dress 

CHAPTER XIV.— Colds, Catarrh, Consumption, Bronchitis, 
Asthma and Indigestion : ( lauses shown, and simple rem 
prescribed which have never failed. 

Chapter XV.- Useful Recipes: Condensed Items; necessities In 
every household. 



Chapter XVI.— Health Crystals: Illustrates) the power of poetry 
and gems of thought, to heal and uplift the sick and depressed. 

Chapter XVII. — Pregnancy : Parturition without pain considered. 
The subject treated by a mother, having had large experience 
and observation. 

Chapter XVIII. Children, their Care at Btrth and During 
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Chapter XIX.— Diseases of Women and Children : Women are 
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Chapter XXII. —Health Hash: A hundred or more brief hints 
hashed up for the good of all. 

CHAPTER XXIII. — Menstruation and Change of Life : Important 
facts for old and young. 

Chapter XXIV. — Miscellaneous Diseases, Remedies and Sug- 
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Read every word of this closing chapter. 

The very choice colored illustrations add much to the intrinsic 
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